The Church in China

I’m reading a (somewhat surprisingly) interesting book at the moment, The Diocesan Priest by Mons David Bohr – only about $7 on Kindle.

Some nice themes come through in the book. One of the first is the way that in the very early days of the Church, its members were enveloped in it. These men and women were the ones who had to (just simply had to) spread the Church. While the rank and file were theologically led by Apostles and their successors, given the (lack of) size of the Church and the newness of its mission in the world, it was up to all the members to spread its word. An analogy can be made with my cricket team (or indeed Dachshund breeders). There is a core group of about 10 of us. People come and go from time to time, and if we want to keep the team going, we have to do something about it. There is no one else. It is our team - our flame to maintain.

The next theme (which is still being developed – I am not finished the book) occurs as time passed and circumstances changed. The Church ceased being ‘grassroots’ and had to become more institutionalised as it grew in size, acceptance and territory. Public and specifically defined roles began to develop. Church activities came to take place in more specifically defined and public places. With this growth, there was a greater emphasis on the role of the clergy as being the persistent public face of the Church, and church buildings came to be the public place of the church. I take that it slowly became possible (not necessary) for the laity, in public church matters, to sit back. The consecrated religious became the public mission-pushers. (Of course, in private, it is always the married laity who raise the next generation, and hence supply the next candidates for the public mission, and hence are central to that mission.)

It seems trite that the Church today in much of the world is still in this institutionalised stage. Moreover, modern Australian society easily facilitates (almost forces) lifestyle compartmentalism so that instutional involvements can be isolated and need not mix with other public activities. For instance, in the workplace there is usually no real need for anyone to know what religious belief you hold. It is not even clear how someone would know your creed simply from your external signs (religious artefacts aside). This is a shame and a challenge and not a great reflection on Sydney circa 2012.

Considering the above, it is particularly refreshing to read of a modern day place where the Church’s institutionalised structure is not strictly established and where being a Catholic is likely to be noticed, so that if you wanted to (or had to) you would probably need to go to some effort to keep it hidden (or underground). The place I have in mind is China, in particular Shanghai.

The Diocese of Shanghai recently ordained a new auxiliary bishop - Bishop Ma Daqin. As far as I understand the news stories,  as a priest Bishop Ma was associated with the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association . That Association is government controlled and in tension with the Holy See. Upon his ordination as a bishop, he announced to his congregation that he was now leaving the Association to concentrate on his new responsiblity. The Bishop’s move is essentially an act of defiance. He has not been seen since, and is thought to have been detained. Now that’s not compartmentalised living.

It is also worth reflecting on the building in which this announcement took place – St Ignatius Cathedral. Built by Jesuits in the early 1900s, it was seized by the Communists in the 1960s, suffered extensive vandalism including the tearing down of its spires, smashing its windows and then turned it into a grain warehouse. In the late 1970s it reopened. The first Mass in the vernacular was celebrated in 1989, and the cathedral is still undergoing repairs.

Isn’t this a different perspective on being a Catholic in society.