“China-fication”: Second meeting between Hong Kong and Chinese Catholics

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Photo: Hong Kong skyline (WordPress)

(Hong Kong) Chinese bishops and priests from China’s state-sanctioned Catholic Church formally briefed Hong Kong clergy members on how to implement President Xi Jinping’s socialist view of religion— a move critics say could herald further crackdowns on religious freedom.

From November 15th to 16th, an online conference titled “The Second Mainland-Hong-Kong Sharing and Exchange on the China-fication of Catholic Theology Conference” was held. The first such meeting was held in secret last October 31 at the instigation of mainland religious officials. Click here to read ChinaAid’s report on it.

This year’s conference was jointly organized by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the Theological Research Committee of the Bishops Conference of Catholic Church in China, and the Holy Spirit Study Centre of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. More than 50 experts and clergy members from mainland China and Hong Kong participated.

The two-day meeting emphasized “China-fication”— a political ideology aimed at imposing the country’s socialist model and supporting the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

Bishop Joseph Shen Bin, chairman of the Communist Party-backed the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China and vice-chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, said in his opening speech that 2022 is a “very significant year,” noting that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was victoriously held in Beijing last month. The high-level congress, held every five years, has won Xi Jinping an unprecedented third term as the general secretary of the Party.

Bishop Joseph Shen Bin emphasized that Chairman Xi “renewed his request to adhere to the direction of China-fication of Chinese religions and actively guide religions to adapt to a socialist society” at the conference. “On the one hand, we firmly follow the path of China-fication that is compatible with the socialist society.” Accompanying this, the Chinese Catholic Church will “steadfastly follow the path of China-fication that is compatible with a socialist society in terms of pastoral care, evangelization, and cultivation.”

Cardinal John Tong Hon, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, delivered a speech at the meeting. Cardinal Tong pointed out that Chairman Xi encouraged Hong Kong youth to work hard to build society and serve others. The Church needs to train more young theologians and scholars and constantly open up a path of evangelization suitable for today’s Chinese religion and social culture.

Eleven scholars and priests delivered keynote speeches, including the Secretary-General of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, researchers of the Social Research Office of the Institute of Modern History (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), the director of the Bible Department of the Chinese Patriotic Patriotic Association, lecturer of the Protestant Seminary – Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, Hong Kong’s Holy Spirit Seminary College of Theology & Philosophy and priests of the Society of Jesus and others.

The article on The Catholic Church in China website concluded, “After two days of wonderful seminars, the participants unanimously agreed that the Bible is the spiritual foundation of the Church and that the China-fication of the Church in China requires in-depth studies on the Bible’s translation, interpretation, and proclamation. Therefore, the exchange and cooperation between the Church in the mainland and the Church in Hong Kong are deeply meaningful, and we hope that similar seminars will continue.”

Clergy members in Hong Kong generally see the communist authorities’ emphasis on using exchange seminars as a consistent unification strategy used by the Chinese Communist Party.

Hong Kong Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-Yan told them on November 16 that the purpose of the online conference was to exchange faith and culture. Clergy members should maintain their own independent thinking, and there will be no brainwashing involved. He made a similar point in a recent interview about China’s national security laws imposed on Hong Kong, asking Beijing to clarify the red lines of Hong Kong’s national security laws.

~Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent ChinaAid

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“China-fication”: Second meeting between Hong Kong and Chinese Catholics

clouds, hong kong, buildings-2517653.jpg
Photo: Hong Kong skyline (WordPress)

(Hong Kong) Chinese bishops and priests from China’s state-sanctioned Catholic Church formally briefed Hong Kong clergy members on how to implement President Xi Jinping’s socialist view of religion— a move critics say could herald further crackdowns on religious freedom.

From November 15th to 16th, an online conference titled “The Second Mainland-Hong-Kong Sharing and Exchange on the China-fication of Catholic Theology Conference” was held. The first such meeting was held in secret last October 31 at the instigation of mainland religious officials. Click here to read ChinaAid’s report on it.

This year’s conference was jointly organized by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the Theological Research Committee of the Bishops Conference of Catholic Church in China, and the Holy Spirit Study Centre of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. More than 50 experts and clergy members from mainland China and Hong Kong participated.

The two-day meeting emphasized “China-fication”— a political ideology aimed at imposing the country’s socialist model and supporting the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

Bishop Joseph Shen Bin, chairman of the Communist Party-backed the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China and vice-chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, said in his opening speech that 2022 is a “very significant year,” noting that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was victoriously held in Beijing last month. The high-level congress, held every five years, has won Xi Jinping an unprecedented third term as the general secretary of the Party.

Bishop Joseph Shen Bin emphasized that Chairman Xi “renewed his request to adhere to the direction of China-fication of Chinese religions and actively guide religions to adapt to a socialist society” at the conference. “On the one hand, we firmly follow the path of China-fication that is compatible with the socialist society.” Accompanying this, the Chinese Catholic Church will “steadfastly follow the path of China-fication that is compatible with a socialist society in terms of pastoral care, evangelization, and cultivation.”

Cardinal John Tong Hon, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, delivered a speech at the meeting. Cardinal Tong pointed out that Chairman Xi encouraged Hong Kong youth to work hard to build society and serve others. The Church needs to train more young theologians and scholars and constantly open up a path of evangelization suitable for today’s Chinese religion and social culture.

Eleven scholars and priests delivered keynote speeches, including the Secretary-General of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, researchers of the Social Research Office of the Institute of Modern History (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences), the director of the Bible Department of the Chinese Patriotic Patriotic Association, lecturer of the Protestant Seminary – Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, Hong Kong’s Holy Spirit Seminary College of Theology & Philosophy and priests of the Society of Jesus and others.

The article on The Catholic Church in China website concluded, “After two days of wonderful seminars, the participants unanimously agreed that the Bible is the spiritual foundation of the Church and that the China-fication of the Church in China requires in-depth studies on the Bible’s translation, interpretation, and proclamation. Therefore, the exchange and cooperation between the Church in the mainland and the Church in Hong Kong are deeply meaningful, and we hope that similar seminars will continue.”

Clergy members in Hong Kong generally see the communist authorities’ emphasis on using exchange seminars as a consistent unification strategy used by the Chinese Communist Party.

Hong Kong Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-Yan told them on November 16 that the purpose of the online conference was to exchange faith and culture. Clergy members should maintain their own independent thinking, and there will be no brainwashing involved. He made a similar point in a recent interview about China’s national security laws imposed on Hong Kong, asking Beijing to clarify the red lines of Hong Kong’s national security laws.

~Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent ChinaAid

News
Read more ChinaAid stories
Click Here
Write
Send encouraging letters to prisoners
Click Here
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Send your support

Fight for religious freedom in China

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