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Pope aims to normalise China ties Pope rallies split Chinese flock
(about 11 hours later)
Pope Benedict XVI has sent a letter to China's Catholics, aiming to start up a new dialogue with the church there. Pope Benedict has addressed a message of reconciliation to millions of his faithful in China, whose loyalties are divided between Rome and Beijing.
In his message, the Pope is stretching out a hand of friendship to the Catholics, who are divided in their loyalties to Beijing and to Rome. "No-one in the Church is a foreigner," the Pope says in his message.
There are some 10-15m Catholics in China - a tiny minority among a total population of 1.3bn people. He is trying to put order among a small but growing community of often confused Christians in a vast country with its own ancient religious traditions
Beijing broke diplomatic ties with the Vatican more than 50 years ago after the Communist takeover. He is up against a state political ideology of atheism and half a century of sporadic persecution of Catholics.
The letter, which has already been sent to the authorities in China, is one of the boldest diplomatic and pastoral initiatives of Benedict's reign so far. Chinese Catholics are at present split between the so-called Patriotic Church, tolerated by Beijing, and an underground Church which remains loyal to Rome.
Touchy subject In an effort to bring order to this chaotic situation, and to improve the prospects of a return to normal diplomatic relations with Beijing which were broken off in 1951, the Pope goes out of his way in his message to praise the recent social and economic achievements of the Chinese people.
In his 28-page document, the Pope pointedly refrains from referring specifically either to the underground church, which is still in communion with Rome, or to the Patriotic Catholic Church, whose bishops have always been appointed from Beijing. He offers sincere dialogue with the civil authorities, in a spirit of friendship and peace.
Worship is only allowed in the officially-tolerated Patriotic Church It remains to be seen, however, just how his message is going to be received in Beijing.
The Pope's aim is to normalise relations with Beijing. Need for new blood
The Vatican regards China as a country with huge missionary potential, and has been holding informal talks for several years with Chinese officials with a view to restoring diplomatic relations. In his letter, Pope Benedict points out that underground activities do not form part of the normal life of the Catholic Church.
The Pope's letter discusses religious freedom in China - a touchy subject for the Beijing authorities. The Pope's letter was released on Saturday
Bishops of the officially-tolerated Patriotic Catholic Church have been called to Beijing to discuss how to react to the Pope's message. He also stresses that Rome has already accepted the full authority of many of the bishops appointed unilaterally by the Beijing-tolerated Church.
Apart from the dispute over the appointment of Chinese bishops, the main stumbling block to the restoration of relations has been Rome's recognition of Taiwan. As far as the Vatican is concerned, he says, there is only one Catholic Church in China.
The Beijing authorities insist that Rome must first break with Taiwan before a Papal nuncio can take up residence again in Beijing. The Pope studiously avoids the use of the term Patriotic Church in his 28-page letter.
New statistics about the Church in China, provided by the Vatican, illustrate the gravity of the current dilemma faced by Rome in trying to reorganise a divided Church whose hierarchy is dying out.
Sixty out of the approximately 100 Chinese Catholic bishops are currently over the age of 80 and about half of their present number have died during the past seven years.
So the appointment of a new, younger Church hierarchy in China, with the consent of the Beijing authorities, is a matter of extreme urgency for the survival of the Catholic Church in the world's most populous nation.