Chinese Catholic Bishops Conference

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In 1958, the People's Republic of China's communist government appointed two Catholic bishops to be consecrated without approval from the Vatican. Since then, the Catholic Church in mainland China has been replaced by a government-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, that refuses submission to the Holy See and the Pope. Effectively, the government church violates Church Canon law section 751, which states, "...schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff..."

Today, the Chinese Catholic Bishops Conference is located in Taipei, Taiwan, as the Episcopal conference of the bishops on the island. The Holy See maintains diplomatic recognition of the Republic of China, being the sole European state to maintain ties with the Republic of China.

On Mainland China, the Vatican, to this day has never recognized the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and has, on separate occasions, maintained a strong bond with the underground Catholic community. Pope John Paul II in July, 1991 stated, "With what prayerful longing and love do I follow the life of the loyal Chinese Catholic communities?" Again, in September 1994, he noted that "The great majority of Chinese Catholics, precisely in order to live this fidelity in fullness, have chosen the path of suffering and silence. With deep affection, our hearts turn to these brothers and sisters of ours who suffer great hardship, thankful for their generous and heroic example."

Chinese bishops in the meantime have been consecrated without appointment from the Pope; flying in the face of the discipline of the universal Catholic Church. However, over the past two decades, a sizeable number of officially-approved bishops have sought approval from the Holy See, so as to be "normalized" in regard to the universal church. Many have been approved, according to reports. It is reported that as high a figure as 80% of all Chinese bishops, official and unofficial, bear approval from the Vatican.