Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun flew to Rome and handed a seven-page letter to Pope Francis appealing for him to pay attention to the crisis facing the underground church in China.
The Hong Kong emeritus bishop on Nov. 8 told ucanews.com that underground clerics have cried to him since the Vatican-China deal on the appointment of bishops.
“They said officials have forced them to become open, to join the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and to obtain a priest’s certificate with the reason that the pope has signed the Sino-Vatican provisional agreement,” said Cardinal Zen.
He said some parts of the agreement had not been made public, meaning that brothers and sisters of the underground church did not know what they should do.
“Some priests have escaped, and some have disappeared because they do not know what to do and are annoyed. The agreement is undisclosed, and they do not know if what officials say is true or not,” he said.
Cardinal Zen said the China Church was facing new persecution and the Holy See was helping the Chinese Communist Party suppress the underground community.
He flew to Rome from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1 to hand his letter to the pope. “I want to talk to the pope again and hope he will consider again, but this may be the last time,” he said.
In his letter he described how the underground church had seen money confiscated, with clergy having relatives disturbed by the authorities, going to jail or even losing their lives for the faith.
“But the Holy See does not support them and regards them as trouble, referring to them causing trouble and not supporting unity. This is what makes them most painful,” said Cardinal Zen.
The letter also stated that the Chinese Church did not have the freedom to elect bishops.
As the Chinese government still interferes with the church, and church members want to keep their faith pure, it is impossible to ask for the official and underground churches to unite, Cardinal Zen said.
“Our bottom line is the pope. We cannot attack him. If the pope is wrong this time, I hope he will admit the mistake; if he does not admit, I hope that the future pope will point out the mistake. But in the end, it is still the pope’s final decision. If you don’t follow, then there is no principle, so the mainland’s brothers must not rebel,” he said.
Cardinal Zen made an earlier trip to Rome during January where he also handed the pope a letter, this time about concerns over the Holy See asking two recognized bishops in China to step aside and make way for illicit bishops.
Full story at ucanews.com.
Unfortunately, in tbe eyes of the Holy Father, the underground Catholic Church in China does not exist. Only the government-approved church is legitimate.
Another outward sign of the Pope’s inward leftist belief system! So sad that our fellow Catholics in the Church in China have been tossed to the Communist bear. You can bet the Peter’s Pence collection does direct any of those monies to the Church in China!
What about the crisis in the USA?
Corrupt bishops who are never laicized, corrupt teaching in what is left of “Catholic” schools, diminished attendance at Mass on Sunday, and front page scandals not properly addressed by the bishops.
We are truly in crisis and Pope Francis does little, sohow can the Chinese expect leadership?
Here is a copy of an earlier posting that I made about this:
The TRUE Church in China is known as the Underground Church) in Communist China.
Cdl. Zen is pleading with the Holy See, but is consistently and deliberately ignored. At the same time, the Communist Chinese government, which has the Holy See’s blessing to appoint bisjops, destroys Marian shrines.
Blessed Mother, protect them. Please ask your Son to soften the hearts of the persecutors and give those, who suffer persecution for their faith in your Son, comfort. Most Blessed Virgin Mary, you, of all people, have the ear of your Son. Please command the legions of angels who are at your becon call, as Queen of Heaven, come to the aid of the True Church in China, and watch…
The Holy Father has abandoned Cdl. Zen, his priests and the true faithful in Communist-dominated China:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cardinal-zen-delivers-new-letter-on-china-to-pope-francis-underground-cleri
The Holy See is biding its time, so that any opposition to the agreement between the Holy See and the Communist-run Church in China will eventually end with the death of Cdl. Zen, followed by the martyrdom of the Underground Church.
Francis will give Cdl Zen the same attention he has given to Archbishop Vigano.
While I admire Zen’s pluck, you’d think a veteran Commie-fighter would see right through Red Francis. Then again, the Cardinal displayed a surprising credulity in re Argentine communists and Jesuits supposedly fighting government oppression of the poor there.
As for theologians, apologists, and assorted holdouts, the Chicom deal ought to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Alas.