DATE=9/11/2000
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=CHINA-CATHOLICS
NUMBER=5-46994
BYLINE=LETA HONG FINCHER
DATELINE=NINGXIA PROVINCE, CHINA
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: China has been expanding its crackdown on
underground Christians in the past month, with more
arrests of worshippers and priests not registered with
the government. But despite the harsh suppression,
Chinese are turning to Christianity - officially or
unofficially - in record numbers. Beijing
Correspondent Leta Hong Fincher recently visited a
Catholic church in China's northwestern province,
Ningxia, and tells us how Chinese Christian faith
survives against the difficult odds.
TEXT:
///SOUND OF ORGAN AND SINGING, EST. THEN
FADE///
The walls of the only official Catholic church in
Ningxia's capital, Yinchuan, are made of unpainted
concrete.
/// OPT /// Naked light bulbs hang from low wires
strung above the pews. And cheap plastic flowers
decorate a watercolor painting of Jesus Christ at the
altar. /// END OPT ///
No fancy stained glass windows either, just dusty,
unadorned glass. But the Mass attracts a loyal
following of about one thousand on Sundays, in a city
with 2500 Christians.
/// SERMON IN CHINESE, EST. THEN FADE ///
The sermon this morning is about how difficult it is
in today's society to admit that one is Christian.
The priest says even he is sometimes afraid of being
open about his faith. But he urges church members to
share their faith with others, to go out and spread
the gospel.
As the parishioners pray, their 87-year-old bishop,
Liu Jingshan, also known as John Baptist Liu, watches
from the back row with satisfaction. Bishop Liu hardly
ever preaches these days, now that he has passed the
torch to a younger generation.
/// LIU ACT IN CHINESE, EST. THEN FADE ///
He says he came from a line of Catholics dating back
to his great-grandfather. Generations of Catholics
have known tension with the Chinese government, but in
1950, the Chinese Communist Party created a new
Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association to replace the
Vatican's role in China. The Vatican switched its
recognition to Taiwan, and many priests and nuns fled
the country. Bishop Liu remained behind, but was
sentenced to 15 years in a labor camp.
/// 2ND LIU ACT IN CHINESE, EST. THEN
FADE///
He says he was formally released in 1966, but the
Cultural Revolution had just begun. Religion was
banned, and churches, mosques and temples were
destroyed. So Bishop Liu says he continued to do hard
labor alongside other criminals. It wasn't until
1979, with China's policy of opening up to the
outside, that he was finally allowed to preach again.
/// BEGIN OPT ///
/// 3rd LIU ACT IN CHINESE, EST THEN
FADE///
Bishop Liu says at that time, all their churches had
been torn down, their bibles had been burned, and
their robes were gone. But he says he still
remembered how to hold mass, so he began by preaching
at people's homes, and slowly, the Catholic community
grew.
/// END OPT ///
/// SOUND OF CHANTING AND PRAYERS, THEN
FADE ///
Before 1949, there were about three million Catholics
in China. Now, academics say the number has increased
to at least 10 million. Richard Madsen, an expert on
Chinese Christians at the University of California at
San Diego, calls the increase spectacular, given the
persecution and suppression of Christians during
previous decades.
/// MADSEN ACT ///
Many of these communities really show a remarkable
kind of energy, much more energy, much more devotion
than you typically see in many Catholic and Protestant
churches here in the United States, partly because
people have had to suffer so much to maintain the
faith.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Madsen says in many ways, the situation for
Christians in China has improved over the last 20
years. But the government requires all Christians to
register, and over recent months, it has been cracking
down on unregistered worshippers.
/// OPT /// Rights groups say that in August, at least
180 Christians were arrested in central China. And at
least 20 Catholic priests and nuns were arrested in
the southeastern province, Fujian, for leading Mass in
unregistered homes. /// END OPT ///
But despite government restrictions, Mr. Madsen says
the boundaries between the official and unofficial
church, especially among Chinese Catholics, are very
fluid. He says some bishops even move between
registered and unregistered churches, and are approved
of by the Pope.
/// 2ND MADSEN ACT ///
This approval is done in a quiet sort of way, because
the Vatican doesn't have any formal relationship with
the Chinese government. But it's known in certain
areas that the person who's the bishop has been
approved of by the Vatican. This person is also
approved of by the so-called Catholic Patriotic
Association, which is the officially approved
government association, and when that happens,
everybody in the area is happy.
/// END ACT ///
/// SOUND OF BELL AT MASS, THEN FADE ///
Here in the remote northwestern province of Ningxia,
Bishop Liu has been able to carve out more breathing
room for his church than would be possible somewhere
closer to China's political center.
/// 4th LIU ACT IN CHINESE, THEN FADE ///
Bishop Liu won't admit if the Pope has recognized him,
saying he doesn't like to discuss politics. But he
says he has faith the day will come when the Vatican
establishes relations with China again. (signed)
NEB/HK/LHF/JO
11-Sep-2000 05:03 AM LOC (11-Sep-2000 0903 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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