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Forty years of Radio Veritas Asia's Mandarin Service

Programs produced by the radio service have been a vital source of support for isolated Catholics in China
Forty years of Radio Veritas Asia's Mandarin Service

Bishop Philip Huang of Hualien (center) and the managing members of the Radio Veritas Asia cut a cake for the celebration of the Mandarin Service's 40th anniversary. (ucanews.com photo)

Published: July 18, 2016 10:30 AM GMT
Updated: July 18, 2016 10:30 AM GMT

Sister Angela Liu Lijun, a former coordinator of the Radio Veritas Asia (RVA) Mandarin Service, once met a priest in China and asked him how he learned theology. He replied that an elderly priest taught him in the days when religious activities had just been revived after the Cultural Revolution (1966-76).

"But I would also have to say that I graduated from the 'RVA seminary' because I learned so much from listening to Radio Veritas Asia programs on theology and philosophy," said the priest.

The story was shared earlier this month as part of the celebrations commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Mandarin Service at RVA headquarters in Manila.  

Religious persecution began when the Chinese communists took over in 1949.

"Missionaries were expelled and Catholics suffered oppression and lost their link with the universal church," said Father Raymond Ambroise, executive secretary of the Office of Social Communication of the Federation of Asia Bishops' Conferences.

"In 1956, some Asian bishops convened a meeting in Manila to express their concerns and explore ways to answer the needs of Chinese Catholics," said Father Ambroise.

The bishops decided that radio was the best way to let Chinese Catholics hear the message of the church and so the Mandarin Service was established.

"But their work was and is not without difficulties," said Father Ambroise. Chinese authorities interfered and blocked their signal and, recently, their website too, according to the priest.

Besides reviewing history, Radio Veritas Asia workers used the event to find ways to use the internet to strengthen communication with Chinese Catholics. Three months ago, the Mandarin Service set up a Wechat public account that has had 600,000 visitors.

A Wechat management team is responsible for editorial planning, user interaction and promotion with help from volunteers. "There are a lot of procedures to set up a website or smartphone app in China, but using Wechat — with 600 million users­ — is much easier," said Ruo Wang, a layman who manages the account.

 

Catholic media development in the internet era

There were a few scattered Catholic websites in China in the late 1990s. Then the Shanghai Diocese and the Hebei Faith Press, a national Catholic newspaper, launched officially registered websites in 1999 and by 2005 about 60 active websites had been launched, according to Annie Lam, researcher at the Holy Spirit Study Centre in Hong Kong who delivered a keynote speech entitled, "Overview of Catholic Media in China" during celebrations to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Mandarin Service.

As for the content, Lam observed that these websites mostly reposted Chinese church news taken from websites outside China, though there is some original reporting coming through. The Catholic media also use multimedia to tell news stories but sometimes they overdo it with too many images, she said.

"Most websites still avoid posting controversial news," she noted.

Established in 1976, the Mandarin Service is one of 15 language services from the RVA. Besides producing audio, the Mandarin service also creates video programs.

Internet development has helped the Mandarin service reach out further. Now people can download programs and listen any time. Besides Wechat, the RVA has accounts on Facebook, Youku and YouTube so it's convenient for Chinese Catholics to connect to the voice of the Church.

"Forty years was not very long but God's grace [was there] every moment," said Bishop Phillip Huang of Hualien, chair of Taiwan bishops' social communication office.

RVA programs were a vital source of support for Catholics who were isolated from the physical community of the church, the bishop said. "In some cases, it also helps non-believers obtain teachings and guidance," he said. "Some get baptized and become the children of God."

Pope Pius XII had the idea of establishing a permanent Catholic radio station in Asia but it was Pope John XXIII who implemented the idea. Radio Veritas Asia was established on April 11, 1969 and two months later the Mandarin Service began its initial broadcast. Pope John Paul II in 1999 referred to Radio Veritas as an "excellent instrument of mission."

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