Prayer of St. Francis Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love, Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, let me sow hope; Where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Father Tan Tiande Witness of Faith "Silver and gold, I have none. But what I have I give you..." These are the words of St. Peter the Apostle (Acts 3:6) and they can be applied to Father Tan Tiande. Going through thirty years of reform through labor and enduring one cold winter after another, Father Tan has devoted his whole life to God. Despite old age and physical weakness, he continues to serve God enthusiastically and to witness to God's amazing work. It seemed especially peaceful after lunch. Inside the Stone House Sacred Heart Cathedral compound in Guangzhou, Father Tan Tiande was preparing to teach a small girl catechism. The door to his room is always open for the convenience of parishioners who wish to listen to his teachings or to visit him. At the age of 87, Father Tan is still physically strong and speaks clearly. He is always smiling, as if the sufferings he endured in the past have had little impact on him. "Why do I keep busy? I do it for God. What made me endure the pain and the prison? I did it for God. I suffered torture because I did not want to betray God, and I wanted to keep my faith," Father Tan slowly explained. In the 1950s and 60s, the Chinese Communist government cracked down heavily on all major religions. The Catholic Church did not escape. Many clerics were imprisoned. Father Tan was among them. "After Liberation, Stone House was immediately targeted," he said. "At that time, anyone who believed in any religion was maltreated. They were taken to the streets and criticized in public. The asphalt road was so hot it seemed as though it would dissolve right then and there under the blazing sun. Many priests were forced to walk on the road barefooted, and their feet were burnt to blisters. But God's plan was really amazing. He didn't let me die of torture in Guangzhou. He saved my life and made it possible for me to continue preaching his Truth." Father Tan escaped the pain of being criticized in public because he was in prison, but his suffering and the threat to his life were no less painful. Father Tan was ordained a priest in Stone House Cathedral in 1941. After ordination he was sent to do missionary work on the then malaria-prone Hainan Island. He left Hainan after three years because he had contracted malaria. He was sent to Hong Kong for treatment. He did not forget his duty to guide his flock on the Mainland, although he lived comfortably in Hong Kong. He returned to Guangzhou in 1951. By that time, changes had already taken place in Guangzhou, but Father Tan continued to preach the Good News in different parishes and explain the faith to various people. He organized pilgrimages to Sheshan in Shanghai, and visits to Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pinmei (Gong Pinmei), bishop of the Shanghai Diocese at the time. Cardinal Kung was targeted by the Communist government, and later imprisoned. 70
"The pilgrimage to Shanghai was interpreted as a confrontation to the government. I led the pilgrimage and preached about the existence of God. The faith of the parishioners was strengthened, but as a result I was arrested," Father Tan said. In 1953, Father Tan was sentenced to 10 years of Reform Through Labour. He was sent to a farm in northern China in 1955. Later, without a fair trial, Father Tan was sentenced to life imprisonment, though his sentence was later reduced. The charge was "preaching religious beliefs in prison and resisting re-education." Father Tan's ordeal lasted for 30 years. In the lonely desert in the north, he was subjected to a number of severe criticisms. He was also required to do various kinds of farm work in cold weather, and he had to endure hunger. He survived only by eating wild vegetables, tree bark and by stealing beans from the horse stable. He was "released" in 1966. But it was freedom only in the literal sense. In fact, he had to remain in northeastern China and work as a janitor in the automobile factory and do other manual work. His mobility was greatly restricted. In 1975, he tried to go home secretly like other workers, but he was not successful; he was caught and locked up in a detention centre, in a room so small that he could not freely stretch out his legs. He even had to report to the guard if he wanted to go to toilet. He was also not allowed to talk with other people or to doze off. One who has not gone through it can only imagine such suffering. Looking back on all this, Father Tan said: "If your intention is to serve God, you can achieve your aim even though you are locked up in jail." He simply faced all his sufferings in the labour reform camp with equanimity. Some people even described him as "not knowing the meaning of unhappiness". Through the grace of God, Father Tan was able to endure 30 years of such hardship. He was released in 1983, and he returned to Stone House Cathedral in 1984. It seemed like another lifetime to him. After his return, he continued serving God wholeheartedly. He was busy saying Mass for the parishioners, teaching catechism class, visiting parishioners and anointing the sick. Although he was still under surveillance by government officials, who sometimes came to "visit" him or take part in his Mass, Father Tan said he could freely celebrate Mass and teach catechism. 71
"Nobody from the government officially came to listen to the catechism, but individual government officials would sometimes drop in. The government doesn't let Communist Party members come here... Political restrictions are very strict. The Communists are atheists, while Catholics are theists. Thus, the two are inevitably in contradiction," Father Tan said. He also added: "Nobody comes to tell me what I should say. If anyone came to do that, I would ignore him. I'm talking about the truth of Jesus Christ and the Gospel, not something secular or political. Religion and politics are separate. I don't pay any attention to these things."(he was referring to politics and other things). He noted that many people come to take part in the religious activities at the cathedral. He hardly knows who they are. However, he keeps explaining Church teachings and preaching the Gospel even if Party members or top leaders are present. "Who is the greatest before God? Who is most afraid before HIM? We should only fear offending God. We should not be afraid of anybody, but God. This is clear in the Bible," the priest said. "If you fear," he said, "You will lose your freedom. Freedom is within you if you are not afraid of anything. Freedom is something you can get hold of. If you want to have freedom, you have to act bravely in accordance with the truth and Church teachings." Therefore, Father Tan has never been afraid of government officials that might come to stir up trouble. At present, Father Tan concentrates on the work of evangelization and rarely takes part in parish administration. He seldom has to deal with government officials as other priests in the parish deal with these matters. However, from his extraordinary experience, he believes that the government will adopt a relatively lenient religious policy in Guangzhou, which is the door of southern China and is famous for its history of being a pioneer in reform. But he admits that it is difficult to evaluate the situation in the rural areas, where the quality of the government officials may be questionable. "If the government restricts us too much, public opinion would be bad. People outside would say that the government doesn't ensure religious freedom. Besides, the government has to comply with the Constitution where religious freedom is clearly stated. but the degree and the implementation may be different from place to place. I remember that the Constitution stipulates: Chinese citizens enjoy freedom of religious belief. They have the freedom to believe or not to believe in religion." Father Tan said that if he were restricted, he would cite the Constitution. "I have already put everything aside," he said. "Everyone bears his own responsibility before God and HE will judge us on what we have done." Father Tan is not afraid of nuisances, difficulties or restrictions. He bravely preaches the Good News and serves as a living witness. Thus he has acquired genuine "freedom" and peace. Apart from his faith, and his brave and righteous character, he is also unaffected by his past as he has understood the deeper meaning of suffering. "I tell some parishioners who come to visit me. You are not highly educated and you can't remember everything I tell you, but look at the Cross, it is enough. The Catholic Church displays the Cross everywhere. It is the best example of suffering. How can human beings escape suffering since the God of all creation has also suffered? It is the best reminder for us: the God of all Creation has also suffered, so how can we, sinners and human beings, not endure a bit of suffering? All pain and suffering seem so insignificant when confronted by the suffering of Christ." The Cross leads Father Tan through the dark valleys of death, but it also gives him the courage and peace to hope that the Church in China will soon journey back into the light. 72
Father Franco Mella A Priest in a Dialogue of Faith Mao's ideas on Communism were an inspiration for Father Franco Mella even when he was a very young boy in Italy. He dreamt of going to China to serve the people. In 1974, he realized part of his dream by going to China for the first time. Later in Hong Kong he worked actively for the rights of the boat people, for the brides of the boat people, street-sleepers, Chinese dissident Liu Shanqing, married women without identity cards, as well as for the people seeking the right of abode. Father Mella lives the values of the Gospel and the Communist ideal of service to others. In 1991, he went to the Mainland as an English teacher. He first taught in Taishan, then in Jiangmen both in Guangdong Province and then in Weinan in Shaanxi Province. No matter where Father Mella lives, his lifestyle remains the same. Besides teaching in China, Father Mella has been actively involved in visiting orphanages, schools for the disabled, homes for the elderly and various minority groups. For the past ten years of living and working in China, Father Mella has always stayed close to the local people and the poor. He is a living witness to the all-embracing love of God. His experiences during the past ten years have given him a different understanding and idea of the situation of the Church in China and the meaning of religious freedom. Thousands of Attitudes Towards Religion "I think the Chinese government has a thousand attitudes towards religion. Not only one. For instance, during the three years I lived in Taishan, I celebrated only one Mass. This was on the first Christmas I was there. I celebrated the Mass at the request of a small group of Catholics from Hong Kong." After some nuns got into an argument with the officials, it became very awkward for Father Mella to continue to celebrate Mass. "However, when I was teaching in Jiangmen," he said, "I could say Mass with the priests there almost everyday. So, there are different policies in different places." Apart from differences in the policies, there is also the issue of how local government officials, who work for the Religious Affairs Bureau and the Catholic Patriotic Association, implement the policies. How the priests and nuns relate to the officials also makes a big difference. Father Mella mentioned that the person-incharge of the Catholic Patriotic Association in Jiangmen was very friendly. They were really like friends. Therefore, the official would try to convince the local government not to be "too worried" about Father Mella's various activities. Father Mella also remembered that, in certain other provinces, some governmentapproved churches were able to restrain the orders of the Catholic Patriotic Association. In other places, some priests even refused to celebrate Mass for two or three weeks in order to make the officials responsible change their directives. "The local government has to consider the reaction of the Church. Some of the priests do not like to meet with government officials frequently. But some Church members, including priests and nuns, can be very cooperative. Some of these are interested in being members of the Chinese Peoples' Political Consultative Congress. So, it is not always just a question of religious freedom. The situation has a lot to do with us. Also sometimes the Catholic Patriotic Association demands more of the Church than is required by government policies. Policies and situations are different in different places." 73
During the nine-and-a-half years that Father Mella spent in China, he was able to realize his dream and fulfill his Christian mission. However, the ever-changing policies and political atmosphere also affected his work. "In Jiangmen, some young people attended classes out of interest," he said. "These young people liked to invite their friends to join them. One day, all of them disappeared. It was not clear whether the school had exerted pressure on them." He went on, "The Sisters often told me that the Religious Affairs officials would come at times and ask them not to teach the kids too much about religion. The officials said that the kids, when they grew up, could participate in Church activities if they were interested. This kind of thing often happened and the officials' 'visits' and 'instructions' were sometimes strict and sometimes lenient." Father Mella was also under investigation because of his contacts with street-sleepers, and his account of the situation in the orphanages, often reported by the mass media. In 2000, after the canonization of the China martyrs to which China violently objected, he also had to stop his teaching temporarily. Looking back on all these incidents, he says frankly, "I think it's all understandable. Don't think this is a sad thing. The most important thing I think is not so much about the rights we Christians have to do this and that, but it is for us to preach and live up to the spirit of the Gospel." Freedom Attained by Proclaiming the Gospel Father Mella is optimistic. In his eyes, freedom not only means to be allowed to celebrate Mass or organize religious activities, but also to be able to preach the Gospel and live out the Christian mission. Therefore, when he talks about religious freedom, he sees the major issue as "whether we can live the Gospel in this place and proclaim the truth of Christ through service to the people. It is not a big problem if we cannot mention the name of Jesus in some places at the moment. This is because it is not yet time, but the time will come when Jesus can be named. However, the important thing for us is to be able to serve the people and to live the spirit of the Beatitudes." According to Father Mella, religion and faith are two different things. He maintains that when we say religion, we are usually talking about an organization, leadership and the assets of the Church (e.g. schools and kindergartens). Faith, however, has a broader connotation. Faith is about preaching and living the values of the Gospel. Freedom of faith means to be able to follow Jesus and live a life according to the Beatitudes, that is, in service to people and to the poor. "Freedom of faith has nothing to do with the number of churches, clinics and buildings. This is only a very small part." He continues, "If we put too much emphasis on 'religion',we may fail to do the things that Jesus wants us to do. Our target is not to put the Church on a high social status or make it socially influential in China, nor to renovate the churches and restore the number of church-run schools as before. I think our main concern should be freedom of faith." "Of course," Father Mella noted, "to be able to mention the name of Jesus would be total freedom of faith. Even if we cannot yet mention the name of Jesus, we already have room to do what Jesus did and to serve the people." However, today, some of the Church members in China think of "religious freedom" in terms of the organization and the hierarchy and ignore the basic meaning of freedom of religious faith. Father Mella is aware of the many political and social limitations imposed on the Church in China. "However," he remarked, "although some local Churches have a great deal of land and enjoy social status, they seldom actively participate in social services and in serving the poor. They are not all equally active in promoting the spirit of the Gospel, in utilizing Church values to 'dialogue' with the members of the Communist Party and others. Instead, they are often involved in competing for material benefits, arguing with the government over the property rights of churches and clinics." 74
A Need to Extend the Space for "Dialogue" According to Father Mella, dialogue is very important in dealing with China's problems. He noted that both the Communist ideal and the spirit of the Gospel have much in common, for example, both stress how people should lead their lives. They both believe that peasants are the heroes and regard the working class as the major historical force of the society. They both focus on service to the people. Through dialogue, they can discover their common values together. They can also cooperate with people of goodwill, and together strive to build a better society. Father Mella also thinks that dialogue not only brings new ideas to the government, but also to the Communists, and to the Church itself. It also gives a meaning for the development of the society. The practice of allowing people who hold different values to communicate with each other is an experience of freedom of religious faith. "I think freedom of faith means to focus mainly on dialogue among people holding different values. It does not mean having the Communist Party put us in leadership positions, to have the Communist Party on this side and the Church on the other side. It does not mean that at this moment, the power of the Church is inadequate so I have to tolerate you, and wait until you lose your power so that the church can restore its social status, and so on. We have to be very careful about this. The experience in Eastern Europe has taught us a lesson. Our target is not to overthrow the Communist Party. This might not really be the ideal at all." Father Mella continued, "I realize that there are good things in the Communist Party, and we should engage in dialogue. Dialogue might help convince them to do what they should do and convince us, Christians, to do what we should do. This does not mean that the present Communist Party is entirely good, or that we should not criticize the regime of the Communist Party. I just want to correct the concept that 'the Communist Party is totally bad while we are totally good.'" During his years on the Mainland nearly a decade Father Mella has met many people. They may not have any religion, and they may come from the lower echelons of the society, yet they feel responsible for the development of their society and sincerely wish to make a contribution to it. Father Mella has often engaged in dialogue with them. He has discussed the death penalty and different social issues. They shared their different ideas and values. They also joined together to visit different minority groups. "I was not really able to meet a great many people in this 10-year period, but I did talk with a number of them. I remember the headmaster of a school for the disabled. He was a Communist Party member. He asked, 'If for some reason some disabled people are prevented from coming to our school, is this still a Communist country?'" Father Mella thinks that such an attitude is already a sign of a particular value standard! "I think that, on these grounds," he says, "there is already much room in China for people to dialogue. They can, in fact, do something together." Although Father Mella experienced some difficult times, he still believes that "with imagination and creativity, you can do many things in China, following the teachings of Christ." Currently, Father Mella continues to visit the poor on the Mainland. We, here in Hong Kong, miss his voice, his funny facial expressions, the humour he uses to calm the nervous moment, and his passion for life. However, to walk with the Chinese people has long been his dream. We should be happy to see him realize that dream. Father Mella is now actively, positively and enthusiastically promoting freedom of faith in China. 75
An interview with Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun on Religious Freedom in Mainland China I = Interviewer B = Bishop Zen Ze-kiun I: Do you think there is religious freedom in Mainland China? How is it manifested? B: Whether religious freedom exists in China is a debatable point. A Church under government control does not enjoy freedom. It's good to see that people can now go to Mainland China to travel or do business. On the one hand, parishes in China are also open to people and some of them even have good choirs. But does this add up to religious freedom? A dog under leash may run here and there if the leash is long enough. However, it is clear that the dog is still on a leash. The religious policy of the Chinese government is total control. Those who resist the imposed control are severely punished and persecuted. Therefore frankly speaking, I think there is no real religious freedom in Mainland China. The government has granted a certain degree of freedom for worship, but this is not complete freedom. Freedom is a right, and it should not be granted upon the mercy of the government. We know that the Underground Church does not have freedom. Once their members are caught, they are imprisoned. Underground seminaries are disbanded once discovered. However, I think the members of the Underground Church are already accustomed to these practices; some of these bishops are frequently arrested and imprisoned. Nowadays, these persecutions can no longer be kept secret, so the government becomes more tactful in handling these cases. During "normal periods", these bishops are not imprisoned for a long time, and Photo: Kung Kao Po they are rarely tortured during the imprisonment. Sometimes, instead of putting them in jail, they confine them to hostels of the local police force. Therefore as a whole, you may say that the situation has improved. However, arrests and imprisonment of bishops and priests still persist. However, the Open Church also suffers. The authorities know that a lot of bishops and priests have sought union with the Pope. About two-thirds of the bishops are already secretly recognized by the Pope. This frustrates the government, but other than continuous control, they do not have effective means to handle the situation. In fact, these bishops who have made up their mind to be in union with the Pope are already prepared for possible persecution. I: Are persecutions prevalent? Do they happen frequently? B: We have always reminded people that Mainland China is so vast that situations in various parts of the country are different. The general government policy and attitude towards the Church is the same throughout the country, but differences exist between different local areas. In most areas, the relationship between the Church and local officials is not bad. However, local officials are often eager to please their superiors, and they sometimes "outperformed" in their tasks when they received orders to suppress the Church. In these situations, relationships between the local officials and the Church do not help. For example, the persecution after the canonization of the China martyrs in 2000 was initiated by the central government, and local officials could only carry out orders. I: In recent years, China has opened up to communicate with the outside world. Do you think this change will help alleviate the suppression of the Church in China? B: I don't think so. It sounds contradictory to say this, but this is the reality and it is understandable. The major reason that China opens itself up to the outside world is to do business. Whether or not China will 76
have a dialogue or establish diplomatic relations with the Vatican is not related to doing business. Business people will not stop doing business in China because the Chinese government is bad to the Catholic Church. In fact, many people who criticize China's human rights situation continue to do business with the Mainland. I: Do you think that the establishment of the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC) together with the existing Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) signifies an improvement in the development of the Church in China? B: The last time I paid a formal visit to Beijing, I said the so-called "One Association (CCPA), One Conference (BCCCC)" was going backwards. The relationship between the CCPA and the BCCCC has changed. In the past, the CCPA led the BCCCC. However, for some reason, the BCCCC then led the CCPA. In the last election, a bishop who was the president of both the CCPA and the BCCCC was elected. Now a problem arose because, for some reasons. the candidate proposed by the government Bishop Michael Fu Tieshan was rejected by the BCCCC. Consequently, the government had to choose another candidate as president of the BCCCC. The BCCCC no longer leads the CCPA. Therefore, I asked Mr. Ye Xiaowen, the head of the State Administration of Religious Affairs, whether this signified going backwards. He answered tactfully that there is no differentiation between superior and inferior, as long as everyone is in one family everything is negotiable. He did not explicitly say which one is to lead the other. In fact, above the CCPA and the BCCCC, there is the National Congress of Catholic Representatives, which makes the regulations for the CCPA and the BCCCC. It also elects the presidents of the CCPA and the BCCCC. These elections are carried out in front of important government officials in order to exercise control. I: Do you think that the clergy in Mainland China will be given their rightful autonomy and be able to participate in Church affairs? B: Yes, but the situation also differs in different parts of the country. Some priests are too anxious and they hold back. Others are bold enough to do something. Some priests display the photo of the Pope because the government allows people to treat the Pope as the spiritual leader. However, a spiritual leader is merely a figure without real authority. Therefore generally speaking, there is no real improvement in the situation in China. Of course, in some parts of the country, there may be some improvements because of the effort of local bishops and priests. I: Are there any direct, regular dialogue and contacts between the Church in Hong Kong and the Church in China? B: Open dialogue and contacts between the two Churches have limited effect, because the Church in China is under government control. If we have open and direct contact with them, and the Chinese government does not support this, the Church in China will suffer. In other words, we do not have open or formal contacts. Sometimes, we deliver our messages to them through individuals who go to Mainland China. Photo: Kung Kao Po I: You said that there is no religious freedom in China. So what role do you think the Hong Kong Church can play to change this situation? B: We can tell the Chinese government that it is wrong to suppress religious freedom. However, our 77
influence is limited. I hope that when a new generation comes into power, the situation will improve. Religious freedom is absolutely harmless to the country. It is irrational to think that we shall rise against them. On the contrary, we can do a lot to help improve the society. I hope that they will understand this. Mutual understanding gives a lot of room for negotiation. For example, if they worry about the appointment of bishops, we can even let them have some influence in the appointment process. As our Chief Executive Mr. Tung Chee-hwa said, "The better China is, the better is Hong Kong." We have to wait for the situation in China to improve before there can be any change in Hong Kong. I think there is a chance that the situation in China will improve, and this hope rests on the next generation of leaders. Some young people in China would like to speak out, but they do not have the chance. I heard from a friend in the Mainland that some young professors in China would like to propose major reforms, however the middle-age group tells them to be patient. When the old leaders retire, the middle aged will come into power and they will need the help of these young people. I: Do you think the future of the Church in China depends very much on the young priests? B: Yes. I hope that they will strengthen their inner spirit, be courageous and fight for the freedom of the Church without fear of loss and failure. I: The government is influential in the training of these young priests. Do you think we can do something to broaden their outlook? They are the future so what can we do for them that would bring about a breakthrough in religious freedom for the Church in China? B: I also share the same hope. In fact, a breakthrough in religious freedom is also progress for the country. I: In this case, what do you think the Diocese of Hong Kong can do to promote this work? B: I think the chief role and responsibility should be borne by the people in the Mainland. I think we can be optimistic about this. On several occasions, I have heard a cardinal, formerly at the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples of the Vatican, tell of his experience in Czechoslovakia. He told me that the priests trained in the Communist-controlled seminaries were courageous. These priests were trained under the influence of the Communist government yet they were the most brave and rebellious. The more they were suppressed, the more they resisted. When we teach in the Mainland, we do not teach the students to be rebellious. However, we do teach them the complete and true Catholic doctrine. If they preach that, they are already being very courageous. Interviewed on November 25, 2002 78