梵蒂冈未来三天闭门开会研究中国教会问题

Vatican commission to discuss situation of Church in China next week
The Associated Press March 8, 2008

VATICAN CITY: Chinese bishops will participate in a meeting next week at the Vatican about the problems of the Catholic Church in China, the Holy See said Saturday.

Also attending the meeting March 10-12 will be top Vatican officials.

Pope Benedict XVI has made the improvement of often-tense relations with China a priority of his papacy, and he is keen on restoring diplomatic relations with Beijing.

He sent a special letter to Catholics in China last year, and the Vatican said reaction to the missive will be assessed at the meeting. In the letter, Benedict praised the underground church in China but also urged the faithful to reconcile with followers of the nation's official church.

During the meeting, "the principal aspects of the life of the Church in China will be discussed," the Vatican said.

Millions of Chinese belong to unofficial congregations that are loyal to the pope and sometimes risk harassment. Catholic clergy in China have at times been jailed.

China forced Roman Catholics to break with the Vatican in 1951, shortly after the officially atheist Communist Party took power. Worship is allowed only in state-backed churches, which appoint their own bishops in defiance of the Vatican.

But last year, a cleric well-regarded by the Vatican was installed as bishop of Beijing by China's state-controlled Church, a move seen as easing tensions between the Chinese government and the Holy See, which insists that pontiffs must appoint bishops.

　　教廷将于3月10日至12日在梵蒂冈召开中国教会问题研究委员会议，检视各方面对教宗本笃十六世于2007年5月27日致中国天主教信友的牧函的反应，进一步深入认识这封牧函的内容与探讨中国天主教会生活的主要问题。

　　教宗致中国天主教会的牧函于2007年6月30日正式对外公布。根据教廷新闻室发布的消息，与会的人员将包括教廷有关部会的官员及中国主教团代表。不过，新闻中并未透露将与会的中国主教团代表之具体姓名。有关的消息来源表示，台湾的枢机主教单国玺、台北总主教洪山川与香港的枢机主教陈日君都将与会。单国玺已于6日先行抵达罗马，洪山川则将于9日到达。

　　教廷中国教会问题研究委员会是由教宗本笃十六世设立，主要任务在研究与中国大陆教会生活有关的重要问题。

　　梵蒂冈教廷曾于2007年1月19日至20日在梵蒂冈召集有关人员，就中国天主教会局势举行两天的闭门会议，之后并发表声明，表达与中国进行相互尊重及建设性的对话之意愿。

　　上一次会议是由国务卿贝尔托内枢机主持，与会者包括国务院与万民福音部的官员、单国玺、陈日君与澳门教区主教黎鸿升。

　　依会议中所得到的信息，教宗本笃十六世于2007年5月27日致函中国天主教会，重申教廷与中国政府对话沟通的意愿与立场，希望官方的爱国教会与效忠教廷的地下教会能合一共融，以及教廷在任命主教事务上能完全自由。