China's Struggling Catholics: A Second Report on
the Church in Beijing | Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D. | Ignatius Insight |
September 13, 2008
Editor's Note: Dr. Anthony Clark,
assistant professor of Asian history at the University of Alabama, is
in Beijing, China, to spend four months as director of the University
of Alabama Chinese Language and Culture Program in the capital of
China. During his time there, he is writing a series of articles for
Ignatius Insight about Catholicism in China; this is the second article
in that series. For more about Dr. Clark, see his bio at the end of
this article.
In my first report from
China's harried capital ("China's Thriving Catholics: A Report From Beijing's
South Cathedral", August 20, 2008) I described the vibrant parish life in
Beijing's South Cathedral. Now the Olympics are over, the smog has returned,
and the more challenging aspects of practicing the faith in China are more
evident.
While optimism is
appropriately in order, there remain many obstacles to free and unlimited
expression of Catholic life in China. Beijing's four major Catholic churches
continue to fill to overflowing, and the emerging and popular new 798 Art
District was recently able to host an artistic photography exhibit of Catholic
life in rural China without government intervention. However, it is still true
that to openly practice Catholicism is to limit one's social opportunities.
Two things are required to
advance in "New China's" political and educational system: a college degree,
which only a small minority of Chinese are able to earn, and membership in the
Communist Party, which is not open to Christians. Nor would Christians wish to
join the Party, which is atheistic and has articulated its official goal to eradicate
religion. Just as the so-called "Patriotic" Church was openly celebrating Mass
around the time of the 2008 Olympics closing ceremonies, an "underground"
bishop was arrested by Chinese authorities. Official tolerance of sanctioned
religious practice is balanced by official intolerance of anyone outside of the
sanctioned community.
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