State-run China church group met Brazilian bishops
Chinese Church group not recognized by The Vatican visits Church in Brazil, reports the Catholic News Agency.
East Church (St. Joseph Church), Beijing, on Flickr
- Brazil
- July 21, 2011
On the day that the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association illegitimately ordained a new bishop, a delegation from the institution met with the secretary of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Brazil, reports the Catholic News Agency.
The 12 Chinese officials were in Brazil “to learn about the work of the Catholic Church” in that country and to “propose a dialogue between the two episcopal conferences,” according to a statement about the July 14 meeting. The document appeared briefly on the Brazilian bishop conference's website, but it was later removed.
The delegation was led by China’s Vice Minister of Religious Affairs, Jiang Jianyong, who oversees the activities of the government-backed Patriotic Association.
In a 2007 article on Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to Catholics in China, the Italian magazine 30 Giorni explained that the Vatican does not recognize the existence of a Chinese bishops' conference because that would imply recognition of every illicit episcopal ordination that has taken place since the Communists rose to power in 1951 and severed relations with the Holy See.
The report said that the removed statement quoted China's Vice Minister of Religious Affairs Jiang Jianyong as saying this was “this first time a delegation has visited South America and that they were invited to come by the Biblical Society of Brazil.”
The Biblical Society of Brazil is not part of the Brazilian bishops’ conference. It is currently led by a retired Presbyterian pastor.
Jianyong said the Chinese officials were interested in “learning about the characteristics of Catholicism in Brazil, and we have witnessed the relevance of the Church for the country.”
FULL STORY
Brazilian bishops meet with delegation from state-run Chinese bishops' group (Catholic News Agency)
PHOTO CREDIT
Mumu X on Flickr
CC BY 2.0
The 12 Chinese officials were in Brazil “to learn about the work of the Catholic Church” in that country and to “propose a dialogue between the two episcopal conferences,” according to a statement about the July 14 meeting. The document appeared briefly on the Brazilian bishop conference's website, but it was later removed.
The delegation was led by China’s Vice Minister of Religious Affairs, Jiang Jianyong, who oversees the activities of the government-backed Patriotic Association.
In a 2007 article on Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to Catholics in China, the Italian magazine 30 Giorni explained that the Vatican does not recognize the existence of a Chinese bishops' conference because that would imply recognition of every illicit episcopal ordination that has taken place since the Communists rose to power in 1951 and severed relations with the Holy See.
The report said that the removed statement quoted China's Vice Minister of Religious Affairs Jiang Jianyong as saying this was “this first time a delegation has visited South America and that they were invited to come by the Biblical Society of Brazil.”
The Biblical Society of Brazil is not part of the Brazilian bishops’ conference. It is currently led by a retired Presbyterian pastor.
Jianyong said the Chinese officials were interested in “learning about the characteristics of Catholicism in Brazil, and we have witnessed the relevance of the Church for the country.”
FULL STORY
Brazilian bishops meet with delegation from state-run Chinese bishops' group (Catholic News Agency)
PHOTO CREDIT
Mumu X on Flickr
CC BY 2.0
