| The purpose of this project-dissertation is to procure an understanding of the current situation of the Catholic Church in China today, using phenomenology as the research methodology. Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the government started a religious policy requiring all religious institutions to be self-supporting, self-administering and self-propagating. Under this "Three Selfs" policy, the Catholic Church in China has become autonomous and independent of the Holy See, including the appointment of Bishops.; The Catholic Church, along with other religious institutions, was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution (1966--1976). When this tragic event came to an end, the government adopted an open-door policy and allowed more freedom for religious activities. The Catholic Church began to revive from ashes and even started to grow. However, such freedom has caused a division in the Catholic Church in China. The Church split into an Open Church and an Underground Church. The Open Church is the official church. The Underground Church, on the other hand, remains loyal to the Holy See and refuses to cooperate with the government on the principle of the "Three Selfs".; The present impasse of Sino-Vatican relations hinges on the appointment of bishops. As Beijing wants a Catholic Church to be free of foreign control, the Open Church elects its own bishops and the government appoints them. On the other hand, such election and appointment of bishops infringes on the Canon Law of the Catholic Church, which requires the pope to choose and appoint bishops. Hence, the Open Church in China is not able to stay in communion with the Holy See and the universal Catholic Church. It is therefore considered an "incomplete" Catholic Church.; This Project-dissertation explores the possible normalization of Sino-Vatican relations and the future of the Catholic Church in China. Three players are involved in this study: the China government, the Catholic Church in China, and the Vatican. This research has exposed the problems of a very intricate and complex situation of a Church that finds itself torn between two opposing authorities---the Communist government of China and the Roman Curia of the Vatican. The future of the Catholic Church in China remains to be a puzzle, depending on the reforms of the Roman Curia and the government of the People's Republic of China. |
