Cadre réglementaire afférant à la religion

Actualités de l'Eglise catholique clandestine en Chine

Jurisprudence de la Commission des Recours des réfugiés (CRR), du Conseil d'Etat et des Tribunaux Administratifs concernant des catholiques chinois appartenant à l'Eglise clandestine

Exemple de motivation d'un recours devant la CRR fondé sur l'appartenance du requérant à l'Eglise catholique clandestine
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

L'OFRPA a considéré comme établi que XX est un catholique pratiquant.

Sur la base de cette observation, il y aura lieu de déclarer fondée la demande de XX.

En effet, il y a lieu de s'interroger sur les risques au regard des lois pénales chinoises pour déterminer si la libre pratique de sa religion par XX, s'il devait rentrer en Chine, l'exposerait à des brimades officielles.

Pour autant que l'examen des lois chinoises confirme l'existence de diverses lois soumettant l'exercice de la religion catholique guidée par le Pape à des répressions, les craintes de XX doivent dès lors être considérées comme réalistes et fondées juridiquement.

Tout catholique fidèle à Rome pratiquant sa religion en Chine est susceptible d'être arrêté et poursuivi en application de la loi pénale chinoise parce que

1. son Eglise n'est pas enregistrée en conformité avec les lois nationales auprès du Religious Affairs Bureau (Règlement N° 145 afférant à la gestion des lieux pour les activités religieuses, Décret du State Council de la République Populaire de Chine, articles 13 et 14),

2. il pratique sa religion en dehors des lieux de culte autorisés à cette fin par le Gouvernement (Règlement N° 145, article 2),

3. cette Eglise prête allégeance à une autorité suprême étrangère (Règlement N° 145, article 5),

4. sa religion détruit l'unité de la nation, l'unité parmi les minorités ethniques, la stabilité sociale, ou cause un préjudice physique aux citoyens ou crée une obstruction au système d'éducation national (Règlement N° 145, article 5),

5. la pratique de sa religion peut être assimilée au recours à la superstition (article 99 de la loi pénale) ou à la pratique d'un « culte » (article 300 de la loi pénale),

6. l'article 16 de la loi relative à l'éducation obligatoire interdit à la religion d'interférer avec les activités éducatives. Le gouvernement communiste justifie sa politique d'interdiction de formation religieuse pour les mineurs par une conjugaison malaisée de l'article 34 de la Constitution qui garantit le droit de vote sans discrimination sur la base de la religion aux personnes ayant atteint l'âge de la majorité (18 ans) et l'article 36 de la Constitution garantissant la liberté de religion.

Le 18 décembre 2004, le State Council a promulgué les Regulations on Religious Affairs qui entreront en vigueur le premier mars 2005. Le Règlement comporte 48 articles répartis en 7 chapitres régissant les entités religieuses, les activités religieuses, le personnel religieux et les biens religieux. Il résulte d'un processus en cours depuis 6 ans et qui a impliqué une gamme d'autorités et de personnes concernées. Tout en remplaçant le règlement de 1994, il ne le modifie que peu. Surtout il précise les conditions d'obtention d'une licence de construction de tout lieu d'activités religieuses comportant des démarches aux niveaux du comté, de la ville et de la province.

Le Secrétaire d'Etat du Vatican, l'Archevêque Giovanni Lajolo, a officiellement reproché au nouveau règlement que « l'immatriculation des communautés religieuses ne peut pas être considérée comme une condition préalable à la jouissance de cette liberté ».

Dans les débats devant la Commission, cet état de fait est désormais un lieu commun. Mais, si ce n'est que de manière surabondante, nous joignons à notre dossier une compilation de sources officielles et de reportages de presse attestant la discrimination endémique pratiquée à l'encontre des catholiques pratiquant en Chine au sein de structures sous contrôle étranger, comme l'Eglise catholique fidèle au Pape à Rome.

Ayant constaté que la Commission, au moins dans certaines de ses compositions, ne prête "aucune valeur probante" à de telles informations, nous tenons à préciser que leur intérêt n'est pas d'établir que XX a été victime en Chine avant son départ de persécutions à cause de sa religion, mais qu'il le serait s'il y retournait tout en continuant sa pratique de la religion catholique.

Dans ce dernier contexte, les reportages disent quelles sont les persécutions subies par les catholiques en donnant de nombreux exemples avec des citations de noms de personnes notoirement connues dans la communauté catholique chinoise. En ce sens, ces reportages établissent que tout catholique est susceptible de faire l'objet de persécutions en Chine.

Si la Commission convient que XX est un catholique pratiquant, la conclusion est inéluctable qu'il serait exposé personnellement à des persécutions à cause de sa religion s'il devait rentrer en Chine.

Dans ces conditions, la demande de XX d'admission au statut de réfugié sera considérée comme fondée.

XX cite comme précédents de la Commission les affaires suivantes en tant que décisions d'admission au statut de réfugié pour cause de persécutions en tant que catholique:

1. Madame C (N° 438691, le 10 octobre 2003),

2. Monsieur C (N° 435977, 10 mars 2004),

3. Monsieur L (N° 454505, 28 janvier 2004),

4. Mademoiselle C (N° 498264, 17 février 2005),

5. Monsieur Y (N° 503002, 17 février 2005),

6. Mademoiselle C (N° 485630, 10 mai 2005,

7. Monsieur L (N° 508556, du 23 mai 2005).

Dans l'affaire de Monsieur Y, le Rapporteur a recommandé à la Commission son admission au statut de réfugié parce que son appartenance à l'Eglise clandestine avait été prouvée et que la crainte de persécutions était dès lors fondée.
 
 

COMMISSION DES RECOURS DES REFUGIES

Dans ces affaires, la Commission des Recours a reconnu comme démontrés les faits suivants :

- dans la région de Wenzhou, Province de Zhejiang, entre 1995 et 2001 des persécutions de catholiques fidèles au Pape, consistant selon les cas en emprisonnement (mort s'en étant suivie dans un cas), en menaces, en actes de harcèlement empêchant l'organisation du culte; des arrestations de fidèles après une messe clandestine;

- dans la région de Ruian, Province de Zhejiang, depuis 2000, les autorités ont poursuivi l'organisateur de l'impression et de la distribution non autorisées de 20.000 exemplaires d'un livre de chants catholiques; il a été condamné à 4 ans d'emprisonnement;

- dans la région de Changle, Province de Fujian depuis 2003, s'agissant d'une étudiante en théologie dans l'Eglise clandestine, son arrestation et détention pendant une semaine et des menaces pour obtenir qu'elle renonce à sa foi;

- dans la région de Tieling, dans la Province de Liaoning, depuis 2003, s'agissant d'un jeune catholique, il a été poursuivi pour avoir emmené à une messe clandestine un mineur, la messe ayant été célébrée au domicile d'un fidèle;

- dans la région de Wenzhou, Province de Zhejiang, un jeune catholique a été accusé d'avoir organisé un rassemblement religieux non autorisé; il a été menacé pour obtenir qu'il renonce à sa foi; détenu pendant 24 heures, il a reçu une convocation devant le Tribunal pour sa participation à des activités religieuses non autorisées;

- dans la région de Wenzhou, Province de Zhejiang, depuis 2000, s'agissant d'une jeune catholique, pour sa participation ardente au culte et plus particulièrement pour l'enseignement du culte à des enfants, pour sa participation à un pèlerinage au tombeau de Monseigneur Bai, et après une réunion de prières et de chants pour les 120 Martyrs, elle a été poursuivie par la police chinoise; et

- dans la région de Changle, Province de Fujian, depuis 2002, s'agissant d'un jeune catholique qui animait une association de jeunes paroissiens, à l'issue d'une messe clandestine, son placement en garde-à-vue pendant quelques jours, et alors qu'il rendait visite à des paroissiens âgés, interpellation et mauvais traitements pendant une garde-à-vue de 24 heures, menaces pour obtenir sa renonciation à sa foi.

Dans une de ses décisions, la Commission a tenu les propos suivants concernant la situation des catholiques clandestins :

Les autorités publiques chinoises ont regardé les responsabilités laïques de l'intéressée au sein de l'Eglise catholique catholique romaine et son refus réitéré de dénoncer les fidèles refusant leur affiliation à l'Eglise chinoise sous contrôle de l'Association Patriotique comme la manifestation d'un prosélytisme spirituel sous influence étrangère destiné à promouvoir dans la sphère privée une activité socialement condamnable.

CONSEIL D'ETAT

Préfecture de Police de Paris c. C, 09/07/2001

This decision rendered by the Conseil d'Etat in France represents a correction by the Courts of an excess of jurisdiction of the Préfecture for having decided to send out of the country a Chinese clandestine at the origin a candidate for asylum based on his exposure to official persecution as a Catholic faithful to Rome. A major consideration was the lack of proportionality of the administrative decision against a man with more than 10 years of presence in France and who by virtue of his age would not easily be reintegrated in China.

Cette décision du Conseil d'Etat fait progresser la jurisprudence en ce quelle corrige une décision préfectorale pour excès de compétence pour avoir cherché à éloigner du territoire un clandestin chinois qui à l'origine avait été candidat au statut de réfugié pour cause de son exposition à des persécutions officielles pour sa pratique de la religion catholique fidèle à Rome. Un motif déterminant a été fondé sur le manque de proportionalité de la décision administrative compte tenu en particulier de l'ancienneté de la présence sur le territoire de l'intéressé (plus de 10 ans) et aussi de son âge avancé (plus de 60 ans).

texte de l'arrêt / text in French of the decision

TRIBUNAUX ADMINISTRATIFS

1. - Monsieur C., Tribunal Administratif de Paris, Paris N° 0415446/8, 10 juillet 2004
2. - Monsieur Z., Tribunal Administratif de Paris, 19 janvier 2005
3. - Madame Z., Tribunal Administratif de Paris, N° 0506137/8, 13 mai 2005
4. - Madame L., Tribunal Administratif de Paris, N° 0512909/8, 22 août 2005
5. - Monsieur X., Tribunal Administratif de Paris, N° 0515078, 19 septembre 2005
6. - Monsieur C., Tribunal Administratif de Paris, N° 0520404/8, 17 décembre 2005
7. - Madame F., Tribunal Administratif de Paris, N° 0520766/8, du 10 janvier 2006
8. - Monsieur C., Tribunal Administratif de Paris, N° 0615675, du 9 janvier 2007
9. - Madame G., Tribunal Administratif de Paris, N° 0705531/8 du 14 avril 2007
10. - Madame G., Tribunal Administratif de Paris, N° 071499988/5/8, du 22 novembre 2007
11. - Monsieur R., Tribunal Administratif de Paris, N° 0814298, du 31 décembre 2008
 
 

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ACTUALITES DE L'EGLISE CATHOLIQUE CLANDESTINE EN CHINE

New regulations, November 2004

New regulations for controlling religions

General sources of information

Radio Blogs

Religious Freedom Page

Human Rights Watch: East Asia

Catholic Information Links

Religion and human rights in China

International Religious Freedom Report, Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, United States Department of State

A Brief Historical and Legal Description of Religious, Religion and Law Research Consortium

Chinese Government sources
Freedom of Religious Belief in China, Information Office of the State Council of the PRC, October 1997, Beijing
English version
Chinese version
Religions in China - China Internet Information Center

Freedom of religion before the European Court for Human Rights
Judgments of the European Court for Human Rights invloving freedom of religion
 
 

News stories on religious freedom in China

Le Vatican déplore l'arrestation d'un évêque "clandestin" en Chine (le Monde)
LE MONDE | 14.04.09 | 14h54
PÉKIN CORRESPONDANT
Depuis deux semaines, l'évêque chinois Julius Jia Zhiguo a disparu. Dans l'après-midi du 30 mars, cinq policiers sont venus chercher ce prélat de la province du Hebei (qui encercle Pékin), dans son église du Christ-Roi située dans le village de Wuqiu.
Mgr Jia, une personnalité connue de l'Eglise catholique "clandestine" chinoise, est un habitué des geôles du régime : il a été arrêté plus d'une dizaine de fois depuis 2004. Sa dernière interpellation remonte au 24 août 2008, il avait été relâché le 18 septembre. Ces trois semaines de détention, passées dans différents hôtels et lieux touristiques du Hebei, étaient liées à l'organisation des Jeux olympiques de Pékin. Les autorités avaient alors pris soin d'éliminer tous les "gêneurs" susceptibles de troubler l'événement.
Selon Eglises d'Asie, l'agence d'information des Missions étrangères de Paris, l'arrestation de Mgr Jia serait due au fait que l'évêque "officiel" du diocèse de Shijiazhuang, (capitale du Hebei), Mgr Paul Jiang Taoran, aurait choisi de se rapprocher du Vatican et demandé sa légitimation au pape Benoît XVI. Après que celle-ci lui eut été accordée, ce prélat a fini par se considérer évêque auxiliaire de Mgr Jia. "Pour les autorités chinoises, l'unité de l'Eglise ainsi acquise n'est pas acceptable", écrit Eglises d'Asie.
L'Eglise catholique chinoise est en effet divisée entre deux entités. L'une, "officielle", est regroupée au sein de l'Association patriotique des catholiques chinois et compterait 5,6 millions de membres. L'autre, "clandestine", pourrait compter une douzaine de millions de fidèles.
En dépit d'un rapprochement entre Pékin et le Vatican depuis quelques années - le Saint-Siège étant soucieux d'oeuvrer à l'unification de l'Eglise catholique chinoise -, la reprise des relations diplomatiques (rompues en 1951) reste un horizon lointain. Si le Vatican a fait savoir son intention de couper les liens avec Taïwan, son insistance à garder la main sur la nomination des évêques constitue, pour Pékin, un obstacle à la normalisation diplomatique.
DIALOGUE AU POINT MORT
Selon Joseph Kung, de la Fondation cardinal Kung, un groupe d'activistes basé aux Etats-Unis, la situation des catholiques clandestins "est en train d'empirer". En 2007, Pékin avait nommé des évêques qui avaient reçu le soutien du Saint-Siège, une décision qui avait été interprétée comme un signe d'ouverture de la part de la République populaire. Mais depuis 2008, aucune nouvelle nomination n'a été faite et le dialogue semble au point mort.
Le Vatican a réagi vertement à l'interpellation de Mgr Julius Jia Zhiguo : au lendemain de la réunion, à Rome, de la Commission pour l'étude des questions d'importance majeures relatives à la vie de l'Eglise en Chine, réunie du 30 mars au 1er avril, un communiqué a fait part "de la douleur profonde" ressentie après "l'arrestation" du prélat. L'incident constitue "un obstacle au climat de dialogue avec les autorités concernées, précise le texte. Il ne s'agit pas d'un cas isolé : d'autres ecclésiastiques sont privés de liberté (en Chine) ou sont soumis à des pressions et à d'injustes limitations de leurs activités pastorales."
Bruno Philip
Article paru dans l'édition du 15.04.09

An activist priest moves on (SCMP)
A champion of the underdog who was overtly political, Joseph Zen polarised Catholics
Ambrose Leung  Updated on Apr 16, 2009  When more than 170 priests gathered in the Catholic cathedral last Thursday to prepare for the Easter liturgy, much of their hushed talk revolved around a man who has made it his earthly mission to protect the weak and downtrodden.
They were speaking of Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun - their outspoken bishop who retired yesterday after patrolling the borders of social justice since 1997.
"Some people didn't like him, but many more loved him," one elderly diocesan priest said. "Whatever people have felt about him, all should be laid to rest now because he is retiring. After all, he has tried his best to fulfil his mission entrusted by God."
Pope Benedict's approval last night of the 77-year-old cardinal's long-desired retirement certainly marked the end of an era. Cardinal Zen was disliked by some for his often swift and always fierce condemnation of what he considered unjust and wrong. Others admired him for his work as a protector of the weak and poor, and his castigation of those who abused their wealth and position.
Love or loathe him, few could deny he has held firm to his principles in a time of social and political upheaval since becoming second-in-command of the local Catholic church in 1997 - and, later, bishop of Hong Kong after succeeding the late Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung in 2002.
With a low profile and extensive teaching experience on the mainland, the then Father Zen was considered a dark horse when he was designated by the late Pope John Paul II as Cardinal Wu's successor. Humble yet confident, Cardinal Zen reiterated during his farewell press conference last week that it was not his own idea to help mainland children born to Hongkongers who were seeking right of abode. Rather, he said, it was Cardinal Wu's decision in 1999 to open the doors that so often separate high-ranking clerics from people on the streets.
Cardinal Zen rolled up his sleeves and camped out with abode seekers during overnight protests; lambasted officials who claimed Hong Kong would be flooded by more than 1 million migrants; visited those jailed when their campaign turned violent; and resorted to civil disobedience by enrolling non-resident children in church schools.
By shifting the focus of the church away from its conservativism on public affairs, he made his name as a champion of the underdog - a conviction instilled in him by the church's social reforms undertaken during his studies in Rome in the 1960s. His dictum was that people should fight the culture of "collective selfishness" amid a trend of "toadying to the rich and powerful while despising the weak".
His outspokenness, which has made him as many enemies as friends, continued throughout the slump that overtook Hong Kong during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003. Public grievances were intensifying as the government insisted on ramming through the controversial Article 23 national security bill in the Legislative Council. Cardinal Zen became one of the highest-profile opponents to the legislation, saying it would damage civil liberties. The proposed law was later shelved after half a million people took to the streets on July 1, 2003.
Undaunted by abuse from local leftists - among them pro-Beijing unionist Leung Fu-wah, who branded him a "pathological saint" - Cardinal Zen further agitated the government when he sided with the pan-democratic camp and gave his full backing to the campaign for universal suffrage.
Despite being a devout Catholic, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, along with his administration, denounced the cardinal by name on December 22, 2005, after the pan-democrats blocked what they and Cardinal Zen considered to be an undemocratic constitutional reform proposal for elections.
He earned respect and also drew criticism for his role in the pro-democracy campaign, as well as for his support for the vindication of those killed in the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing. On several occasions, Cardinal Zen expressed sadness over criticism that the church was meddling in politics - a charge made frequently by Beijing.
"I have been misunderstood and have been used by others to some extent. There were many things that I failed to achieve," he said last week. "But God didn't ask us to be successful. God only required us to remain faithful and do our best."
One veteran church watcher in Hong Kong said that, despite inspiring people both inside and outside Catholicism, Cardinal Zen was a polarising figure, with his activism stirring unease in many people, even some Catholic priests.
"While some joined the church because of me, I have also heard some left the faith because they didn't like me," Cardinal Zen said. But he called himself "a conservative" in matters of faith - for example, his adherence to traditional family values, despite being more radical in public affairs.
To officials and some educators, the cardinal's persistent opposition to relinquishing the church's control of its 300-plus publicly subsidised schools under the government's education reform exercise was baffling; officials said the reform would create room for community participation in school governance. Pope Benedict fully backed the diocese's efforts to run church schools. A judicial review filed by the diocese has yet to be completed.
The Pope's support was only a small part of his identification with the Hong Kong prelate. As well as elevating him in March 2006 to the rank of cardinal - the second most senior position in the church - Pope Benedict bypassed the Vatican bureaucracy and made Cardinal Zen his closest adviser on church affairs on the mainland.
With his long-standing criticism of Beijing's control of mainland Catholics through the state-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, Cardinal Zen struck a raw nerve when he exposed in 2000 how state officials in Hong Kong had warned the diocese against celebrating the canonisation of 120 19th-century Chinese martyrs - whom Beijing considered to be imperialists.
Cardinal Zen's fierce criticism of Beijing's unilateral appointment of several mainland bishops without papal approval between 2000 and 2006 (coupled with his already tainted record in Beijing's eyes for his social and political activism), resulted in the central government abandoning efforts to mend relations following his groundbreaking visit to his native Shanghai in May 2004.
In recent years, he has focused on religious freedom on the mainland, and his unceasing campaign both in Rome and Hong Kong was instrumental in the creation of a long-absent mechanism in the Holy See to handle China affairs.
This formation of the papal commission on China affairs in 2007 caused a stir among bureaucrats in the Holy See. But determinedly ignoring hurdles in Vatican bureaucracy, Cardinal Zen, who had the support of Pope Benedict, helped lay the foundations and agenda for the Vatican's China policy for years to come.
In February last year, Bishop Zen called a secret conference, attended by Cardinal Ivan Diaz, head of the Vatican's worldwide missionary department, and dozens of international experts on mainland church affairs. Many recommendations were adopted by the papal commission's first plenary meeting in March last year.
And what of his own future? Cardinal Zen has said he will focus on his role as papal adviser after he hands over the daily diocesan administration today to Bishop John Tong Hon. "You are afraid that my retirement will be boring?" he asked. "The diocese office was like a jail. My only fear is that this new freedom will keep me too busy."
Memorable dates in a controversial career
December 1996
Ordained as coadjutor bishop
December 2001
Opens church schools to mainland children seeking right of abode
September 23, 2002
Succeeds Cardinal Wu as Bishop of Hong Kong
June 4, 2003
Calls for vindication of Tiananmen "martyrs"
July 1, 2003
Leads prayer session ahead of the 500,000-strong march against Article 23
March 24, 2006
Elevated to cardinal by Pope Benedict and is given an advisory role on China affairs
January 2007
Convinces the Pope to create a Vatican commission on China policy
April 15, 2009
Retirement approved by the Pope
 
Confrontational cardinal was not always right (SCMP)
Updated on Apr 16, 2009
 After delivering his last Easter liturgy as Bishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun said his successor, Coadjutor Bishop John Tong Hon, would continue in the direction the church had taken. The cardinal has championed many worthy causes and deserves credit for raising awareness of social issues. But he has also backed some questionable positions, notably on amending the domestic violence ordinance and opposing school management reform. Bishop Tong should, therefore, think carefully before adopting his predecessor's approach wholesale.
Cardinal Zen's outspokenness has contributed to the city's democratic development. He has stuck firmly to his principles. But he has also been a polarising figure. This has not helped smooth the Vatican's relations with Beijing. The cardinal is known to be a close adviser to Pope Benedict on the Vatican's China policy. Overtures to Beijing made by the Pope soon after his election were overshadowed by the cardinal's vocal criticism - on topics ranging from Beijing's human rights record to the Vatican's prerogative to appoint bishops on the mainland. This was a wasted opportunity. The confrontational stance has not helped Catholics on the mainland or furthered the interests of the Vatican. Bishop Tong should consider taking a more diplomatic approach.
The stance the cardinal has taken on some domestic issues also needs to be reconsidered. A law requiring publicly funded schools to include more parents, teachers and alumni in their management boards has widespread public support. Bishop Tong should abandon the cardinal's uncompromising opposition - including threats to launch a High Court appeal - and accept much-needed reforms to improve school governance.
The cardinal's hostility - along with other religious groups - towards a proposed amendment to domestic violence laws has made the issue a divisive one. The proposal aims to extend legal protection to people in same-sex relationships who may be caught up in violent situations at home, but it does not sanction same-sex marriage, a key concern of the church. It should be passed into law.
Cardinal Zen will not be an easy act to follow. Bishop Tong should build on his achievements, but not be afraid to make changes where necessary. With a little finesse, and a little less confrontation, he may win support not only from more Catholics, but from the wider Hong Kong community as well.
 

New Catholic leader vows to defend rights (SCMP)
Ambrose Leung
Updated on Apr 16, 2009
 The new leader of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese vowed last night to continue the church's role in defending human rights and caring for underprivileged groups.
But Bishop John Tong Hon, who succeeded Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun after Pope Benedict approved his retirement yesterday, said the way he would put his teachings into action might be different from that of his politically outspoken predecessor. "As a church, we will definitely continue our role in public affairs," Bishop Tong said. "God has created mankind who is endowed with freedom. Upholding freedom and caring for the underprivileged is part of our faith."
Bishop Tong praised Cardinal Zen for his "excellent leadership" when the diocese was under his care, and said he would miss the cardinal, who will now concentrate on advising the Pope on mainland church affairs.
Bishop Tong said he and his predecessor had "shared the same goal" in the social teachings of the church since 1997.
But he might not follow the strategies and expressions of his predecessor when the church participated in social affairs.
"Cardinal Zen was truly gifted," he said. "The church must make its voice heard. But how I will make my voice heard might be a little bit different. I will follow the church's collective wisdom."
The 69-year-old, who enjoys a weekly game of basketball at the Holy Spirit Seminary in Aberdeen - his residence for 17 years, said he was still considering whether to move into the Diocesan Centre in Caine Road, "because I like the tranquility here".

Bishop Tong to Lead Catholics in Hong Kong
(WSJ) APRIL 17, 2009 By SKY CANAVES
HONG KONG -- Bishop John Tong, the new head of the Roman Catholic Church in Hong Kong, said he is eager to serve as a liaison between the Vatican and mainland China.
"We will gladly act as a bridge if needed," said Bishop Tong, speaking at his first news conference in Hong Kong after Pope Benedict XVI formally appointed him to his new post Thursday. "Or if the Chinese government wants to use us to [communicate] to the Holy See, we will gladly participate."
Bishop Tong succeeds the outspoken Cardinal Joseph Zen, a longtime critic of China's record on human rights and democracy. The new appointment could help facilitate the restoration of formal ties between the Vatican and China, which were broken off soon after the Communists took power in 1949. The Vatican has sought to improve relations with China, where Catholicism has relatively few adherents compared with other Christian denominations, which are growing in popularity.
Bishop Tong said he hopes to promote greater "unity and communion among the different communities in the Church in China," a reference to the division among Catholics, who are split between those practicing in China's state-sanctioned church, loyal to the Communist Party, and the underground churches that take the Vatican as the highest authority. The Vatican has clashed with China over the appointment of bishops in the Beijing-sponsored church and the Vatican's continued diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Bishop Tong is widely regarded as more amenable to Beijing than his predecessor, who participated in demonstrations and held prayer meetings on human rights. Since 1980, Bishop Tong headed a diocesan office in Hong Kong that studies issues related to the Catholic Church in China. Last year, he was appointed co-adjutor bishop of Hong Kong, paving the way for Cardinal Zen's retirement. Bishop Tong attended the Olympic Games in Beijing last summer at the Chinese government's request, an invitation that wasn't extended to Cardinal Zen.
Bishop Tong said he won't participate in the public vigils to mark this year's 20th anniversary of the June 4, 1989, crackdown on the Tiananmen prodemocracy activists, noting that he hadn't attended such vigils in the past.
He added, however, that he supports the vindication of the Tiananmen victims, and described the current situation with regard to religious freedom and human rights in mainland China as "far from ideal."
"Religious freedom and human rights are all connected," he said. "If there is some gross injustice, I will speak out."  Write to Sky Canaves at sky.canaves@wsj.com

A Cardinal for China
(WSJ) OPINION ASIA
APRIL 16, 2009, 2:19 P.M. ET
Hong Kong's Cardinal retires, a loss for China's Catholics and freedom-loving people everywhere.
Beijing's bureaucrats rail loudly against religious figures when it suits their political needs, and one of their frequent targets in recent years has been Cardinal Joseph Zen, an outspoken advocate for democracy and freedom in China.
The Shanghai-born priest retired this week as bishop of Hong Kong. It's not just his successor who will carry on his work; it's also the millions of Christians and freedom-loving people everywhere for whom he is an inspiration.
Cardinal Zen, 77, has served China's Catholics for most of his life -- as a Salesian priest, as bishop and ultimately as cardinal. Born in Shanghai, he arrived in Hong Kong in 1949, fleeing the Communists. He returned to the mainland in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, when he traveled across the country teaching at Chinese seminaries.
After Hong Kong's return to China in 1997, Cardinal Zen became known as the "conscience" of Hong Kong. He worked to ensure that that Catholics in the territory maintained their freedoms and called for greater freedoms for worshippers of all faiths in China -- where the Communist state sanctions and controls religious activity. Catholics in China face persecution, and people of other faiths, such as Tibetan Buddhists, have suffered even stronger crackdowns.
Cardinal Zen understands that religious rights can never be fully separated from political rights. He has repeatedly criticized Beijing for its handling of the Tiananmen Square massacre and for delaying democracy in Hong Kong, which he described as a "a bloodless Tiananmen Square." When the Hong Kong government tried to pass an antisedition law that would have restricted free speech in 2003, he called for citizens to protest the measure.
His advocacy for democracy in Hong Kong earned him a backhanded accolade from a vice president of the state-run church in China, Liu Bainian: "If China's bishops were all like him then it would be dangerous like Poland."
Cardinal Zen has acted as unofficial liaison between China and the Vatican. The two severed ties in 1951, and attempts at reconciliation have stalled. Beijing insists that the Vatican has to break its diplomatic ties with Taiwan before negotiating with China. The Vatican demands affirmation of the Pope's right to appoint bishops in the Catholic Church in China.
In the meantime, the Church's presence in China continues to grow. Many Chinese are turning to religion -- be it Buddhism, Daoism or Christianity -- to help them find a moral compass in a rapidly changing environment. Roughly six million Catholics worship in officially sanctioned Chinese churches, and at least that many again worship in secret. Vatican-appointed bishops who are not also recognized by China's state church are often targeted for persecution. Nine bishops are currently in jail, according to the U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation.
In retirement, Cardinal Zen will continue to advise the Vatican on Chinese issues. He told local the Hong Kong press this week that he will continue to speak out for democracy and religious freedom.
His successor as bishop of Hong Kong, John Tong, has not been as outspoken on issues of human rights. But in remarks to the press this week, Bishop Tong gave every indication that he will continue the Cardinal's mission. "God has created mankind who is endowed with freedom," he said. "Upholding freedom and caring for the underprivileged is part of our faith." Cardinal Zen couldn't have said it better.
 

Chine: inquiétudes pour l'avocat dissident Gao Zhisheng (AFP)
Vendredi 13 mars, 11h53
Des connaissances de l'avocat chinois dissident Gao Zhisheng, dont la famille a fait défection aux Etats-Unis, ont fait part vendredi de leurs inquiétudes sur sa situation. Lire la suite l'article
"Je suis très inquiet", a déclaré à l'AFP Teng Biao, un avocat spécialisé dans la défense des droits civiques qui connaît Gao.
"Pendant des années, il a perdu sa liberté, il a été battu plusieurs fois et il peut souffrir encore plus", a-t-il dit.
Le 4 février, des membres de la police secrète sont venus chercher Gao dans son village natal, dans la province du Shaanxi (nord) et depuis personne n'a de nouvelles, selon l'association Human Rights in China, basée à New York.
Cette dernière et Radio Free Asia ont annoncé jeudi que l'épouse et les enfants de Gao Zhisheng, un garçon de 5 ans et une fille de 15 ans, étaient arrivés aux Etats-Unis mercredi et allaient demander l'asile politique.
Li Fangping, un autre avocat célèbre pour son engagement en faveur des droits de l'Homme, a estimé que Gao pouvait se trouver à Pékin.
"Si sa famille est partie de Chine sans que les autorités ne le sachent, ils peuvent exercer des représailles ou des pressions sur Gao Zhisheng", affirme-t-il.
Mais, ajoute-t-il, Gao, âgé d'une quarantaine d'années, devrait être soulagé de savoir sa famille désormais en sécurité, même si cela sera difficile.
"Maintenant, il n'y a plus que lui, cela ne va pas être facile car il n'a pas de proches à qui parler -- cela peut-être un gros problème pour lui", a ajouté M. Li.
Gao, avocat et autrefois membre du Parti communiste, s'est fait connaître pour avoir pris la défense des chrétiens clandestins, des cyberdissidents, mais aussi des adeptes du Falungong, mouvement spirituel qualifié de secte par Pékin et interdit en 1999.
En novembre 2005, il avait été radié du barreau et placé sous surveillance policière après avoir appelé à la fin des persécutions contre le Falungong. En décembre 2006, il avait été condamné à trois ans de prison avec sursis pour subversion puis placé sous résidence surveillée avec mise à l'épreuve pendant cinq ans.
En 2007, il avait affirmé avoir été torturé après avoir envoyé une lettre au Congrès américain.

16/03/2009 18:52
Le site du Vatican bientôt accessible en chinois (La Croix)
Le site Internet du Vatican sera accessible à partir du jeudi 19 mars en chinois
Le site internet du Vatican, déjà traduit en sept langues (l'italien, l'anglais, français, espagnol, l'allemand, le portugais et le latin), va désormais avoir une version en chinoise.
"Grâce à ce nouveau service, les internautes du monde entier pourront accéder aux textes (...) du pape Benoît XVI traduits en caractères chinois traditionnels et simplifiés", commente le Vatican. Les catholiques chinois sont estimés entre 12 et 14 millions (voir notre dossier sur les catholiques en Chine).
La Chine et le Saint-Siège n'ont plus de relations diplomatiques depuis 1951. Le rétablissement de ces relations est un enjeu pour Pékin, qui souhaite améliorer son image à l'étranger, mais le Vatican, qui cherche aussi à améliorer ses rapports avec les autorités chinoises, y met comme condition la possibilité de réunir sous l'autorité du pape tous les catholiques actuellement divisés entre "officiels" et "clandestins".AFP
 

Sons of heaven (the Economist)
Oct 2nd 2008 | BEIJING AND SHANGHAI
From The Economist print edition

Inside China’s fastest-growing non-governmental organisation

ZHAO XIAO, a former Communist Party official and convert to Christianity, smiles over a cup of tea and says he thinks there are up to 130m Christians in China. This is far larger than previous estimates. The government says there are 21m (16m Protestants, 5m Catholics). Unofficial figures, such as one given by the Centre for the Study of Global Christianity in Massachusetts, put the number at about 70m. But Mr Zhao is not alone in his reckoning. A study of China by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, an American think-tank, says indirect survey evidence suggests many unaffiliated Christians are not in the official figures. And according to China Aid Association (CAA), a Texas-based lobby group, the director of the government body which supervises all religions in China said privately that the figure was indeed as much as 130m in early 2008.
If so, it would mean China contains more Christians than Communists (party membership is 74m) and there may be more active Christians in China than in any other country. In 1949, when the Communists took power, less than 1% of the population had been baptised, most of them Catholics. Now the largest, fastest-growing number of Christians belong to Protestant “house churches”.
In a suburb of Shanghai, off Haining Road, neighbours peer warily across the hallway as visitors file into a living room, bringing the number to 25, the maximum gathering allowed by law without official permission. Inside, young urban professionals sit on sofas and folding chairs. A young woman in a Che Guevara T-shirt blesses the group and a man projects material downloaded from the internet from his laptop onto the wall. Heads turn towards the display and sing along: “Glory, Glory Glory; Holy, Holy, Holy; God is near to each one of us.” It is Sunday morning, and worship is beginning in one of thousands of house churches across China.
House churches are small congregations who meet privately—usually in apartments—to worship away from the gaze of the Communist Party. In the 1950s, the Catholic and main Protestant churches were turned into branches of the religious-affairs administration. House churches have an unclear status, neither banned nor fully approved of. As long as they avoid neighbourly confrontation and keep their congregations below a certain size (usually about 25), the Protestant ones are mostly tolerated, grudgingly. Catholic ones are kept under closer scrutiny, reflecting China’s tense relationship with the Vatican.
Private meetings in the houses of the faithful were features of the early Christian church, then seeking to escape Roman imperial persecution. Paradoxically, the need to keep congregations small helped spread the faith. That happens in China now. The party, worried about the spread of a rival ideology, faces a difficult choice: by keeping house churches small, it ensures that no one church is large enough to threaten the local party chief. But the price is that the number of churches is increasing.
The church in Shanghai is barely two years old but already has two offspring, one for workers in a multinational company, the other for migrant labourers. As well as spreading the Word, the proliferation of churches provides a measure of defence against intimidation. One pastor told the Far Eastern Economic Review last year that if the head of one house church was arrested, “the congregation would just split up and might break into five, six or even ten new house churches.”
Abundant church-creation is a blessing and a curse for the house-church movement, too. The smiling Mr Zhao says finance is no problem. “We don’t have salaries to pay or churches to build.” But “management quality” is hard to maintain. Churches can get hold of Bibles or download hymn books from the internet. They cannot so easily find experienced pastors. “In China”, says one, “the two-year-old Christian teaches the one-year-old.”
Because most Protestant house churches are non-denominational (that is, not affiliated with Lutherans, Methodists and so on), they have no fixed liturgy or tradition. Their services are like Bible-study classes. This puts a heavy burden on the pastor. One of the Shanghai congregation who has visited a lot of house churches sighs with relief that “this pastor knows what he is talking about.”
Still, the teething troubles of the church are minor compared with the vast rise in the number of Christians. After the Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 many disenchanted democrats turned to Christianity: six of the 30 or so student leaders of the protests became Christians. China’s new house churches have the zeal of converts: many members bring their families and co-workers. One Confucian Chinese says with a rueful smile that most of the pretty girls at university were Christians?and would date only other Christians.

Holier and trendier than thou
Christianity also follows Chinese migration. Many Christians studied in America, converted there and brought their new faith home. Several of the congregation of the Shanghai house church studied abroad, as did Mr Zhao. In 2000, says one Beijing writer and convert, most believers were in the countryside. After 2000 they brought their faith into the cities, spreading Christianity among intellectuals.
All this amounts to something that Europeans, at least, may find surprising. In much of Christianity’s former heartland, religion is associated with tradition and ritual. In China, it is associated with modernity, business and science. “We are first-generation Christians and first-generation businessmen,” says one house-church pastor. In a widely debated article in 2006, Mr Zhao wrote that “the market economy discourages idleness. [But] it cannot discourage people from lying or causing harm. A strong faith discourages dishonesty and injury.” Christianity and the market economy, in his view, go hand in hand.
So far, Christianity’s spread has been largely a private matter for individual believers. The big question is whether it can remain private. The extent of its growth and the number of its adherents would suggest not. But at the moment, both Christians and Communists seem willing to let a certain ambiguity linger a while longer.
“Christians are willing to stay within the system,” says Mr Zhao. “Christianity is also the basis for good citizenship in China.” Most Christians say that theirs is not a political organisation and they are not seeking to challenge the party. But they also say clashes with public policy are inevitable: no Christian, one argues, should accept the one-child policy, for example.
Formally, the Communist Party forbids members to hold a religious belief, and the churches say they suffer official harassment. The president of the Beijing house-church alliance, Zhang Mingxuan, was thrown out of the capital before the Olympic games and told he was unwelcome when he returned. In early June, the state government of Henan arrested half a dozen house-church members on charges of illegally sending charitable donations to Sichuan earthquake victims. CAA claims harassment of house churches is rising.
In fact, the state’s attitude seems ambivalent. In December 2007, President Hu Jintao held a meeting with religious leaders and told them that “the knowledge of religious people must be harnessed to build a prosperous society.” The truth is that Christians and Communists are circling each other warily. But it is hard to avoid the conclusion that Christianity will have a political impact one day. “If you want to know what China will be like in the future,” concludes Mr Zhao, “you have to consider the future of Christianity in China.”
 

Mainland Chinese bishops absent at Vatican (IHT)
The Associated Press
Friday, October 3, 2008
VATICAN CITY: The Vatican said Friday that no bishops from mainland China will be attending a worldwide meeting of prelates in Rome next week — a clear sign there has been no breakthrough in the Vatican's efforts to improve relations with Beijing.
Officials say 253 bishops will attend the meeting that will discuss the relevance of the Bible for contemporary Catholics. They include bishops from Macau and Hong Kong, but none from the mainland.
Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi says there were no requests from the bishops "because the conditions weren't there."
"It's quite obvious knowing the Chinese that if one can't reach an agreement, they (the bishops) can't come," he told reporters.
Pope Benedict XVI has made the improvement of relations with Beijing a priority of his papacy.
Ties between the Vatican and China's communist government are long strained. Beijing objects to the Vatican's tradition of having the pope name his own bishops, calling it interference in China.
China appoints bishops for the state-sanctioned Catholic church. In recent years, some of those bishops have received the Vatican's tacit approval.
Still, many of the country's estimated 12 million Catholics worship in congregations outside the state-approved church with bishops loyal to the pope.
In May, the China Philharmonic Orchestra performed for Benedict in a landmark concert at the Vatican. China's ambassador to Italy attended the concert, even though China's officially atheist Communist Party cut ties with the Vatican in 1951.
The Vatican meeting, known as a synod of bishops, will run from Monday through Oct. 26. Chinese bishops have not been allowed to travel to similar meetings in the past.
A document prepared for the meeting rejected a fundamentalist approach to the Bible and said a key challenge was to clarify for the faithful the relationship of scripture to science. A rabbi will address the conference on Monday, believed the first time a Jew has participated at such a meeting.
Benedict on Sunday will read a Biblical passage on Italian television to kick off a marathon televised Bible reading.
 

Losing my religion: the Jews of Kaifeng (SCMP)
Zhang Xingwang belongs to a small community of Jews living in a rundown mainland city - but no one is sure how they came to be there. Now, an academic is questioning their faith and claims they are victims - or even perpetrators - of a hoax
Didi Kirsten Tatlow
Updated on Oct 12, 2008
 Zhang Xingwang, a former sports teacher with brown eyes and a bushy, salt-and-pepper beard, invites the children of Kaifeng's Jewish community to his home on Friday or Sunday afternoons. The flat Zhang shares with his wife is filled with symbols of Judaism: menorah (seven-branched candelabra) stand on tables; a Star of David flag pokes out of a flower pot; copies of the Torah, the holiest Jewish scriptures, line a shelf. Photographs of Zhang, 61, with visiting Israeli dignitaries and scholars hang from a wall.
Wrapping a voluminous tallit (prayer shawl) around his shoulders, Zhang sits at the head of his dining table and tells the children stories about their Jewish heritage and the Lost Tribes of Israel. "Just stories. That's all. I don't proselytise," he says.
Judaism has no official status on the mainland and domestic Jews are classified as Han Chinese or Muslim on their identity documents. Zhang knows proselytising is illegal and is careful to stay within the law. Yet despite the obstacles, the former member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference for Kaifeng, a city of nearly 5 million in Henan province, is determined to pass on his knowledge of Judaism. He also wants his ashes to be interred in Israel when he is dead. "I want to go back to the land of my ancestors."
The story of Kaifeng's Jewish community, which numbers between 300 and 900 (depending on who you talk to), is an object of fascination among Chinese and Jews alike. It has spawned dozens of newspaper stories and even research departments at universities, some helped by overseas donations. Established after the resumption of diplomatic ties between the mainland and Israel in 1992, the Nanjing University Institute of Jewish Studies changed its name in 2006 to the Glazer Institute of Jewish Studies, following donations by wealthy American real-estate developers Guilford and Diane Glazer.
The story goes like this: about a millennium ago, a small tribe of Jews left the Holy Land on an arduous 7,000km voyage to China, where they settled in the flourishing Northern Sung capital of Kaifeng. Here they made their homes in Pluck the Sinews Lane (a reference to the Jewish practice of removing sinews from meat before cooking), built a temple, traded, joined the Confucian scholar hierarchy, inter-married and assimilated.
Or did they?
In a bold new theory, Hong Kong University historian and Judaic scholar Zhou Xun says the established story of Kaifeng's Jewish community is a "hoax". Her research suggests the Jews of Kaifeng are at best deluded, or may be exploiting a status they don't deserve.
Underpinning her controversial idea with historical irony, Sichuan-born Zhou - who gained a master of arts degree in Judaic studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and wrote her thesis at the University of Oriental and African studies in London - says the Jews were really Muslims, and that the whole theory arose over a misunderstanding by 17th-century Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci - specifically, over a hat.
According to Ricci, Kaifeng scholar A Tian visited the Jesuit Mission in Beijing in 1605. There, A Tian told Ricci he belonged to a religion that believed in the one true God, yet was not a Muslim. That statement, plus other clues, led Ricci to decide that a blue hat worn by A Tian identified him as a Jew, since Muslims wore white hats.
Later, says Zhou, that encounter was taken up by 19th-century Protestant missionaries schooled in the popular story of the Lost Tribes of Israel, the 10 tribes cast out of their homeland by the Assyrians some 2,700 years ago.
The missionaries hoped China's Jews, cut off from the Middle East for centuries, might own an uncorrupted version of the Scriptures. They also hoped it would be easier to convert Jews to Christianity than Buddhists, who were proving hard to convince. First of all, they had to persuade the Chinese themselves they were Jewish.
Unfortunately for the Christians, says Zhou, a fact-finding mission to Kaifeng ordered by the Anglican bishop of Hong Kong in 1850 failed to find any evidence of a Torah. Undaunted, a second trip was planned.
"The 'miracle' happened on July 20, 1851," says Zhou. This time, Chiu Tiansheng and Chiang Jungchi, two emissaries of the London Missionary Society, brought back Torah scrolls and two Jews, although they were reluctant to confirm the scrolls had anything to do with the Kaifeng community.
"It is very likely that these scrolls were copied down locally in Kaifeng, under the instruction of the two delegates," says Zhou. "For the locals in Kaifeng, a place of overwhelming poverty, selling fakes to westerners had become a reasonably profitable business."
Other key evidence of Kaifeng Jewry includes two stone pillars, or steles, that reportedly date from the 15th and 17th centuries. Only one survives. There are photographs of them in an unofficial museum set up by Zhang. Engraved with accounts of religious stories, Jewish rituals and details of their Kaifeng temple, they are said to also contain reports of the Torah scrolls. The surviving stele is in the Kaifeng Museum, but its script is faded and unreadable. Calls to the museum are fruitless; it is closed for renovation. The second stele has not been seen since it disappeared from the gates of an Anglican church in the early part of last century, after the synagogue site was sold to Christians in 1912. Anyway, says Zhou, neither stele has ever been scientifically dated.
Despite that, the Jews of Kaifeng have grown in reputation and a small, but growing, trickle of emigration to Israel has begun. Although Zhang is content to wait for death before fulfilling his dream of going "home", others are not.
Yecholya Jin, 24, is one of four young women who left for Israel in 2006, helped by Shavei Israel, or Israel Returns, a Jerusalem-based organisation active around the world in its search for the lost tribes. Once there they were all "made aliya", or converted, since Israel's powerful Rabbinical courts did not automatically recognise them as Jews. China's is a patriarchal society and Jewish8ness can only be handed down the female line.
All converted successfully. Michael Freund, the founder of Shavei Israel, says Jin ran circles around the rabbis. When they challenged her chosen name, Yecholya, she pointed to where it appeared in a little-known book of the Scriptures, and to what it meant: "God can do anything."
Today, Jin lives in Jerusalem, where she is studying for her university entrance exams. She has no plans to return to the mainland, though she left her parents and younger sister behind in Kaifeng. "This is my home now," she says. "Since I was very small my father told me I was Jewish. Our family didn't eat pork, we had a mezuzah [parch8ment inscribed with Hebrew verse] on the door and our gravestones were different from other people's. My parents really supported me in returning 'home'.
"I like it here. Israel is an immigrant country and people come from everywhere and treat you well. You can learn a lot."
Like all the Kaifeng Jews, Jin had little to go on to confirm her ancestry beyond her father's statement that she was Jewish.
"All they had is that one sentence," says Freund. "It's fascinating how through the transmission of that sentence they were able to keep alive the spark of Jewish consciousness."
Kaifeng is an hour's drive east of Henan's capital, Zhengzhou. It's an unlovely place, despite having been capital of several Chinese dynasties. Its roads are lined with broken paving stones and most of its buildings are dirty.
Kaifeng-born Shi Lei, 30, says he just "knew" he was Jewish. He speaks fluent Hebrew, having studied for three years at Bar-Ilan University, in Israel. "My family always told me I was Jewish."
Shi is momentarily floored by Zhou's theory but rises to the debate. "That's K quite brilliant," he says. "Maybe A Tian was Muslim. But for me, I'm quite sure I am a Jewish descendent."
Zhou's theory has angered overseas Jews. US-based Beverly Friend, executive director of the China Judaic Studies Association, likened it to Holocaust denial. "If anything is a hoax, I think it is this article, and you can quote me on that," Friend fumes in an e-mail.
Yet on the ground in Kaifeng, the Jews exist in a limbo of hope and loss. In large part, this is because they have no synagogue to provide focus. Henan authorities have blown hot and cold on the issue, tempted by the opportunities for tourism yet scared off by the political sensitivities. For years, says Zhang, police harassed him, warning him off Jewish activities. The government recognises just five religions - Buddhist, Daoist, Muslim, Catholic and Protestant - and while the authorities tolerate religious activity by overseas Jews in Shanghai, Beijing and other major cities, experts says it is unlikely they will permit the building of a synagogue for native Chinese.
Professor Xu Xin, doyen of Chinese Jewish studies and head of the Nanjing institute, has long urged the authorities to allow a synagogue and help the community revive. "It [would] show a positive side of Chinese culture, that [Jews] were never persecuted here, it shows China is a multiethnic and multicultural society, in a way."
The political sensitivity of the topic is reflected by Zhang's skittishness as we tour old Kaifeng. He was born in 1947 in what is today known as Jiaojing hutong, or Teach the Scriptures Lane, a narrow, long path lined with rundown houses. His childhood home houses several families and looks like a slum. "When I was born, it was called Tiaojing hutong [Pluck the Sinews Lane]."
Some scholars say it is unlikely such a name would have been made up by Protestant mission8aries, who would have thought it derogatory.
Two lanes away from the former Jewish quarter is the modern Muslim quarter. These days, Zhang doesn't normally bring visitors to the Great Eastern Purity mosque. "[The police] are very worried about ethnic harmony," he says.
Inside the rambling, flower tree-filled compound, Zhang points at two lines of blue tiles on a green-tiled roof and whispers: "They stole them from our synagogue, you know."
Outside, among the crowding ranks of peddlers, he greets the Imam. Zhang, born and raised in these streets, knows everyone. Back then, he says, Jews and Muslims lived next door to each other and got on well.
Several kilometres away in Millennium City Park, a Northern Song theme park, Zhang has set up the Kaifeng Jewish Culture Museum in a two-storey courtyard-style house. The museum has thrived under the protection of the park owner, a rich businessman Zhang declines to name. All requests to the government to set up a museum on state-owned property have been rejected.
Shi Lei's father, Shi Xinguang, also runs a private museum about the mainland's Jews. In two small rooms in a modern brick courtyard of the old family home - about to be demolished - the exhibits consist mostly of photographs and include one from the mid-20th century taken to commemorate the Muslim festival of Eid. It shows rows of young men in front of a banner belonging to the "Central-South Muslim and Jewish Academy".
Shi Lei believes there are about 900 Jewish descend8ants in Kaifeng, though - curiously - he claims to have never heard of Zhang Xingwang. Shi's quest to revive his religious identity was prompted by contact with overseas Jews, and he was full of curiosity and buoyed by his growing sense of Jewishness when he arrived at university in Israel - only to be confronted by a shock.
"It was like being hit by a big hammer, or having cold water thrown on me," says Shi, who was 23 at the time. "Everyone said to me, 'You're not Jewish', because if your mother isn't a Jew then you're not a Jew. But in China, everything is passed down through the father's line."
Rabbi Seth Farber runs Itim, the Jewish Life Information Centre, which helps navigate rabbinical bureaucracy. Despite success stories such as that of Jin, Farber says it's hard for Kaifeng's Jews to immigrate. Although the 1971 Law of Return declared anyone who could prove his grandparents were Jewish had the right to Israeli citizenship, in practice the bar is set much higher by the official Rabbinate, which is suspicious of imposters.
Two types of people from China contact Itim for help proving Jewish ancestry; women who want to marry Israelis and Kaifeng Jews.
"Every once in a while we get a call or an e-mail, about four or five a year. We tell them we're all for helping them but in the absence of proof that you are a member of the world Jewish community it's hard to grant them that status."
Tudor Parfitt is professor of modern Jewish studies at London University's School of Oriental and African Studies. He has written extensively on the Lost Tribes and says colonists and mission8aries imagined Jewish communities everywhere.
"Anywhere where you get Protestant mission8aries in a quasi-colonial context you're going to have the construction of Jewish identity as part of the whole symbiosis between occupied and occupier," says Parfitt. "They would find all kinds of behaviour that they found weird and would then decide was Biblical, and so Jewish."
Whatever the truth about the Jews of Kaifeng, one thing is for sure: spurred by a steady flow of visitors from the US, they are learning how to be Jewish again.
"When I was at school my Jewish ancestry was not so important to me," says Shi. "But as I started to meet more and more Jewish visitors I began to learn more and realise it is in my blood. Basically you can say the Jewish descendants are on a learning curve. They are picking up what we have forgotten in previous generations."
 

Religion, la révolution silencieuse

(Le Monde) LE MONDE | 19.08.08 | 14h17 ¥ Mis à jour le 19.08.08 | 14h17 PEKIN, ENVOYE SPECIAL

Le crucifix noir se découpe sur le blanc du mur. La pièce est d'une clarté vive, comme irradiée par la lumière qui perce les vitres de cet appartement perché au sommet d'une tour HLM de Pékin, non loin du village olympique.

Derrière son pupitre de fortune, le pasteur Li, livre des psaumes à la main, chante à gorge déployée. A ses côtés, une adepte l'accompagne au piano. En face, une vingtaine de croyants entonnent à leur tour les louanges évangéliques. Ils sont assis sur des chaises métalliques au dossier rembourré. La plupart sont des trentenaires et des quadras. Variés, les profils mêlent femme au foyer, intellectuel à lunettes, fille branchée en débardeur ou garçon coiffé en hérisson.

Yu Jie se tient en léger retrait de l'assistance. Il est plongé dans le recueillement. Teint pâle et visage rond, il tient la Bible entrouverte dans ses paumes. Il la feuillette quand le pasteur prêche "l'amour de Dieu". Sa discrétion est trompeuse : Yu Jie est en fait une personnalité de poids de cette église officieuse qui célèbre le culte ce dimanche après-midi de juillet. L'église de l'Arche, née d'un groupe de prières lancé par sa femme, doit beaucoup à son abnégation, à son prestige personnel aussi.

Yu Jie est ce qu'il est convenu d'appeler un "dissident". Essayiste libéral, admirateur de la démocratie américaine - et à ce titre, bête noire des nationalistes chinois les plus ultras - il est surveillé de très près par la Sécurité d'Etat, qui le laisse toutefois libre de ses mouvements. A l'issue d'une longue réflexion politique et spirituelle, il a embrassé la foi chrétienne en 2003. Figure de la mouvance pékinoise des "églises à domicile" - structures officieuses tolérées mais évoluant dans un environnement précaire -, il est aujourd'hui l'un des intellectuels protestants les plus en vue de la capitale. Avec deux de ses coreligionnaires, il a même été re*u en 2006 à Washington par George Bush, déclenchant la fureur du régime chinois.

FOI ET POLITIQUE INTIMEMENT LIEES

Yu Jie n'est qu'un exemple parmi tant d'autres. Il incarne une petite révolution silencieuse : un nombre croissant d'intellectuels libéraux dans la Chine urbaine se sont ralliés ces dernières années au protestantisme. Outre Yu Jie, les plus connus sont Wang Yi, Li Baiguang, Gao Zhisheng, Jiao Guobiao, Li Heping, Li Jinsong, Ai Xiaoming. La plupart sont des professeurs et des juristes impliqués dans la défense des droits civiques. Ils sont la pointe émergée d'un phénomène plus large : après les zones rurales dans les années 1980, la ferveur religieuse - notamment chrétienne - est en train de gagner les grandes villes, en particulier au sein d'une classe moyenne en quête de valeurs spirituelles par réaction au matérialisme dominant. Les chiffres officiels sous-évaluent cette résurgence de la foi. Selon les estimations plus crédibles de certains spécialistes, la Chine compterait aujourd'hui entre 40 et 50 millions de protestants pour 10 à 12 millions de catholiques, soit des communautés chrétiennes représentant près de 5 % de la population. Une part encore très minoritaire mais en expansion. Dans le cas de Yu Jie, foi et politique sont intimement liées. Agé de 35 ans, il est trop jeune pour avoir pris part au printemps étudiant de 1989 sur la place Tiananmen. Mais l'écrasement sous les chars du rêve démocratique n'a cessé de le hanter. Au fil de la réflexion, la religion s'est imposée comme un substitut à un idéal politique inaccessible. Et dans cette recherche-là, le christianisme est apparu comme la plus séduisante des tentations. "Les valeurs libérales trouvent leur source dans le christianisme, analyse-t-il. La tradition chinoise ne me satisfait pas de ce point de vue : on ne trouve pas de références à la liberté et aux droits de l'homme dans le confucianisme."

Yu Jie a beaucoup lu, s'est plongé dans l'histoire de l'évangélisation en terre chinoise, a réfléchi au lien entre christianisme et modernité. Il a pu mesurer le rôle du protestantisme dans la formation des élites réformistes en Chine à l'aube du XXe siècle, en particulier chez Sun Yat-sen, le fondateur de la République. "Plus je lisais, plus je découvrais que la religion chrétienne avait contribué à la modernisation de la société chinoise avant la révolution de 1949, poursuit-il. Or, cet apport est totalement occulté par nos manuels d'histoire officiels, qui présentent le christianisme comme l'instrument de l'impérialisme occidental."

"J'AI FINI PAR NOURRIR UNE HAINE DE LA SOCIETE"

Wang Guangze est un autre de ces intellectuels néoprotestants. Journaliste dissident, ancien du Quotidien de la loi et de Reportage économique du XXIe siècle - dont il a été exclu pour ses opinions démocrates -, il a le même âge que Yu Jie. Comme chez ce dernier, le traumatisme de Tiananmen a pesé lourd dans son évolution spirituelle. En mai 1989, soit avant la répression du mouvement, il n'était qu'un lycéen de la province du Henan (centre), mais il s'était mêlé aux manifestations de soutien qui avaient alors enfiévré la jeunesse à travers le pays. L'intervention sanglante des chars sur Tiananmen l'a totalement "désespéré".

"J'étais tellement désabusé, se souvient-il, que j'ai fini par nourrir une haine de la société, cette société devenue l'esclave du pouvoir." Au sortir de ses études de droit, il cherche à se guérir de cette rage. Les traditions chinoises, comme chez Yu Jie, ne lui sont guère d'un grand secours. "Le confucianisme est une pensée de l'élite, grince-t-il, et le bouddhisme ne vise qu'à devenir un saint." Mais il continue à chercher, à lire, à débattre des voies du salut avec ses amis. Ce qui le révèle soudainement au christianisme, explique-t-il, c'est la "notion de péché". Il tient là - enfin ! - la clé qui lui permet de s'arracher à l'exécration du monde. "Nous sommes tous des pécheurs, dit-il. Il n'existe pas de gens plus nobles que d'autres." "C'est ainsi que j'ai apaisé ma colère contre le Parti communiste, continue-il. Les communistes sont des pécheurs comme moi, même s'ils servent un système qui opprime." Wang Guangze devient donc "tolérant", "modéré", il estime qu'il "faut s'entraider entre pécheurs". Il a fondé une association prônant la "réconciliation" en Chine sur le modèle sud-africain.

Fan Yafeng, lui aussi, a retrouvé la paix de l'âme grâce à Dieu. Juriste à l'Académie des sciences sociales, il avait 20 ans en 1989. Il était monté de sa province de l'Anhui à Pékin vivre aux premières loges la fronde étudiante. "Après la répression, je suis devenu totalement déprimé, témoigne-t-il. Pendant des années, je me suis senti faible, fragile, vide." Il s'essaie au bouddhisme mais celui-ci ne répond pas à ses "interrogations sur le sens de la vie". L'hiver 1996, c'est la révélation. Un ami pasteur qui, lui, était passé de l'hindouisme au protestantisme l'invite au culte d'une "église à domicile". "Là, j'ai vu les gens respirer de bonheur, des gens très simples, une coiffeuse, une employée d'assurance, se souvient-il. Leur visage était illuminé." Quelques mois plus tard, Fan Yafeng est baptisé. Si 1989 a précipité ses tourments passés, il ne veut toutefois pas politiser à l'excès sa découverte de la foi : "Nos églises permettent de sauver les âmes, pas la société."

Tous les néoprotestants de Pékin ne baignent pas dans pareille béatitude. Cheveux longs à mèches rousses, Wang Wangwang, est un artiste peintre, célèbre concepteur d'affiches prisé de l'avant-garde de la capitale. Il s'est converti en 2004 car, malgré ses succès et son enrichissement, il éprouvait "un vide spirituel". Quatre années plus tard, il a pris du recul. "J'ai senti en moi, dit-il, une contradiction, un conflit entre valeurs occidentales liées au christianisme et les valeurs chinoises dont je suis porteur." Depuis, il s'efforce de les "harmoniser". Il est aujourd'hui parvenu, souligne-t-il, à une "synthèse satisfaisante". Mais au prix d'un désengagement de l'"église à domicile" qu'il avait rejointe. Il préfère "pratiquer" seul, chez lui, dans le capharnaÙm de ses tableaux o* le Christ s'affiche au coude à coude avec Mao.

Un pasteur de l'église clandestine arrêté près du temple où George Bush a prié

Frédéric Bobin, Article paru dans l'édition du 20.08.08 LE MONDE | 12.08.08 | 14h41 ¥ Mis à jour le 12.08.08 | 14h41 (à Pékin)

La photo de George Bush entouré de jeunes chrétiens chinois sur le seuil d'un petit temple protestant pékinois a été diffusée depuis dimanche, mais un incident est resté hors champ : un pasteur de l'église clandestine chinoise a été arrêté alors qu'il tentait de se rendre à vélo à la cérémonie.

Frédéric Bobin, Article paru dans l'édition du 20.08.08Le temple de Kuanjie, o* le président américain a assisté à l'office en chinois, appartient à l'église protestante officielle, chapeautée par le Mouvement patriotique des trois autonomies, et donc par l'Etat-parti. Pour échapper à cette tutelle, de plus en plus de protestants chinois pratiquent à domicile, et dans la clandestinité : ils seraient près de 40 millions, quatre fois plus que les membres de l'Eglise officielle. Le pasteur Hua Huiqi est l'un des activistes le plus en vue de cette église souterraine. Il s'est aussi impliqué dans la défense de protestataires, ce qui lui a valu d'être tabassé par la police en octobre 2007 et de passer six mois en prison. Assigné à résidence et surveillé de près pendant les Jeux, Hua a pourtant tenu à se rendre au temple de Kuanjie : "Je lui ai dit que la période était sensible et qu'il valait mieux s'abstenir, a déclaré son frère Huilin à l'Irish Times. Il m'a répondu qu'il était déterminé à s'y rendre, parce que c'est dans ce temple qu'il a été baptisé. Il était inflexible."

Frédéric Bobin, Article paru dans l'édition du 20.08.08Dimanche matin, des gardes du bureau des affaires religieuses ont appréhendé le pasteur Hua et lui ont confisqué sa bible. Gardé au secret, il a pu s'échapper, profitant de ce que son garde s'était endormi. Sur les marches du temple, George Bush avait déclaré : "Aucun Etat, aucun homme, aucune femme, ne doit craindre l'influence d'une religion d'amour." Peu après, il a remercié le président Hu Jintao d'avoir arrangé cette visite au temple. On ne sait pas s'il était alors au courant de l'arrestation.

China's repression of civil society will haunt it

(FT) By Minxin Pei Published: August 4 2008 19:21 | Last updated: August 4 2008 19:21

International visitors to Beijing during the Olympics will be impressed by the "Bird's Nest" Olympic stadium, the millions of flowers adorning the streets of China's capital and the freshly repainted façades of its buildings. What they may not realise is that all this represents the power of the state. In the run-up to the games, the government has mobilised unimaginable resources to make its capital a shining symbol of its success. Missing in this picture is China's civil society: non-governmental organisations have been conspicuously absent in the preparations.

For a nation known for its top-down, state-centric political system, this anomaly might seem trivial. But for those who have been hoping that China's rapid economic modernisation will foster a vibrant civil society which will push for future democratisation, the weakness of Chinese NGOs must be a rude reminder that the political evolution historically associated with economic development is not taking place in China - or at least not as quickly as one might have hoped.

Of course, China's economic development and opening to the outside world have given its people unprecedented personal freedom. In the 1980s, Beijing's policy on civil society was also relatively liberal. NGOs faced fewer restrictions and flourished. However, following the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989, the Chinese government imposed registration requirements that made it very difficult for genuine NGOs to register and operate legally. The party feared that independent civic organisations would have the potential to challenge its authority.

Consequently, the growth of Chinese civil society, as measured by the number or quality of its NGOs, has woefully lagged behind China's economic growth. China has more than 350,000 legally registered NGOs, but perhaps only about 10 per cent of them can be considered genuine NGOs in the western sense. Most of the rest are so-called "government-organised non-governmental organisations", or Gongos, an appellation that would make George Orwell proud. As a rule, Gongos are affiliated with a government bureaucracy, headed by retired officials and funded by the state. They have no genuine autonomy.

Even among genuine NGOs, one cannot find civic groups, such as independent labour unions, student unions and religious groups, which are capable of large-scale collective action. Most Chinese NGOs are small groups engaged in leisure activities, environmental protection and local charity work like health and education. A promising development may be the formation of local chambers of commerce in Zhejiang province, where the private sector accounts for more than 90 per cent of the economic output. But this is the exception that proves the rule.

The hardline policy toward civil society was vindicated several years ago when the so-called "colour revolutions" swept through the Ukraine, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. In China, as well as Russia, western-supported NGOs were seen as having played an outsized role in the ousting of unpopular regimes. Restrictions on Chinese NGOs were subsequently further tightened.

The Communist party perhaps knows better than anybody else the potential of even the most innocuous civic groups. In the 1920s, the party operated like today's NGO to win the hearts and minds of the masses. It offered free literacy classes to workers, set up clinics for the downtrodden and formed independent labour unions and peasant associations to defend their rights. Today, as the ruling party, it can be forgiven for suspecting the revolutionary potential of modern NGOs.

Ironically, the government's restrictions on civil society have been so effective that it is beginning to pay the price of success. It has limited Beijing's ability to provide adequate social services, fight corruption and manage state-society conflict. The party needs to see that suppressing civil society also implies assuming unlimited political liability for itself. Without alternative civic organisations to provide relief, aggrieved Chinese citizens naturally hold the government responsible for its failings. A civil society is a stabilising buffer between the state and the masses.For now, the party will stick to its post-Tiananmen strategy: relying on growth to maintain legitimacy and prevent the emergence of an organised opposition at all cost. This has worked wonders for the party since 1989 and the Beijing Olympics will give the party no reason to alter its course.The writer is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

Avec la secte de "Mentu" aux confins du désert de Gobi

(le Figaro) François Hauter, notre envoyé spécial à Yulin (Shaanxi) 04/08/2008 | Mise à jour : 19:48 |

Les congrégations religieuses qui fleurissent dans les campagnes représentent un réel danger de déstabilisation du pouvoir.

Aux confins du désert de Gobi et du plateau de loess chinois, la nature n'a rien d'accueillant : les plantes rampent sur le sable, tant le vent souffle fort, et sous la lumière blanche d'un ciel écrasant, la petite ville de Yulin (300 000 habitants) a des airs de Far West. N'étaient des mines de charbon et des gisements de gaz, Yulin ne serait pas la ville champignon, réputée pour ses vingt restaurants servant des plats de chiens, qu'elle est aujourd'hui.

A quarante kilomètres de là, c'est encore un autre monde : dans le village de Yuxing, la misère règne. La campagne est ravinée, le ma¥s pousse vaille que vaille sur les maigres lopins de terre. Des slogans sont peints en rouge sur les murs en terre : "Les filles sont aussi bien que les gar*ons"! ou "Moins d'enfants, c'est la fortune plus rapidement". Mais pour Hua, une paysanne de 40 ans qui en paraît vingt de plus et qui vit dans une ferme troglodyte, la seule réalité de ce monde, c'est "Mentu", la troisième réincarnation du Christ. Elle s'adresse à lui matin et soir, nous explique-t-elle, avec ferveur.

Car ce "Mentu", selon Hua, guérit toutes les maladies dès que l'on croit en lui. Il offre également de bonnes récoltes, sans utiliser d'engrais, et protège le bétail. La femme et ses amies ne croient en rien d'autre qu'en ce prophète. Elles ignorent que le fondateur de leur secte, un paysan nommé Ji, originaire du village de Yaoxian, a été tué en 1997 dans un accident de voiture ; que son successeur Wei Shiqiang est mort en 2001 d'un cancer ; et que la Çtroisième réincarnationÈ de "Mentu", Chen Chirong, est en prison... Ces sectes n'ont rien d'anodin en Chine. "Mentu" aurait 350 000 disciples dans 15 provinces, mais la seule région du Shanxi en compterait une trentaine d'autres. Parmi elles, celle du "Dieu éclair" annonce des catastrophes pour la Chine, l'arrivée d'une femme messie, et évidemment l'inutilité de toute médecine. Comme ces sectes fondent leur recrutement sur le mécontentement des paysans ou des chômeurs, elles annoncent que leurs membres se doivent de Çrenverser le parti mafieuxÈ(le Parti communiste chinois, NDLR) ou d'abattre le Çgros méchant dragon rougeÈ. Dans ces sectes, les affaires d'escroqueries et de viols sont monnaie courante. Les malades décédant parce qu'ils refusent d'être soignés se comptent en milliers chaque année, à Yulin et aux alentours.

500 millions de personnes à déplacer Hua, sur son lit, prie sous l'affiche portant une croix rouge (le crucifix est rouge, en Chine), mais n'a aucune notion de ce qu'est le christianisme, le catholicisme ou le protestantisme. Elle re*oit, à l'égal des autres adhérents de "Mentu", la visite impromptue d'autres paysans, payés pour recruter et colporter la fable de prétendus ÇmiraclesÈ.

Pékin a créé le bureau 610 pour lutter contre les sectes, après l'avènement du Falungong en 1999. Mais depuis cette époque où la répression fut féroce, la stratégie de l'état se veut plus fine et intelligente : le gouvernement investit massivement dans les campagnes. Une belle route goudronnée conduit depuis peu au village de Yulin jusqu'à Yaoxian. Le bureau de la police a été renforcé, les paysans n'y paient plus l'impôt sur le revenu comme partout ailleurs en Chine. Depuis peu, ils sont les bénéficiaires d'une assurance-maladie. Le chef local de la police nous l'assure : à Yaoxian, "les sectes c'est du passé".

C'est malheureusement faux, et les pasteurs des églises chrétiennes officielles de Yulin sont les premiers à le déplorer : "La progression des sectes est foudroyante, assure l'un d'eux". Les cibles de ces groupes d'illuminés restent toujours les mêmes populations : les paysans pauvres, malades et mécontents, les employés des petites villes de province, tout juste arrivés de leurs villages. Des femmes principalement.

Dans l'histoire chinoise, les sectes et les sociétés secrètes ont toujours joué un rôle capital dans le processus de renversement des dynasties, excitant paysans et citadins contre un ordre établi défaillant. L'état chinois affronte en la matière une période difficile. Aujourd'hui, la Chine a une population composée de 58 % de ruraux. Les paysans ne devront plus représenter que 20 % des habitants d'ici à 2033. Soit 500 millions de personnes à déplacer vers les villes. "Si vous ne sentez pas assez finement les besoins de ces migrants, vous ne sentez pas les crises et les révolutions qui se préparent", nous explique un haut fonctionnaire du Conseil des affaires d'Etat (l'équivalent de notre gouvernement).

Les dizaines de milliers de caméras déployées à Pékin pendant ces JO surveilleront en priorité ces dizaines de milliers de Chinois anonymes, qui tous peuvent être des sectaires illuminés à la recherche d'une publicité inespérée.

Liberté religieuse : "signaux" de Pékin
(AFP) 04/08/2008

Le secrétaire d'Etat du Vatican, le cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, a estimé que Pékin, qui s'apprête à accueillir les jeux Olympiques, avait envoyé des "signaux positifs" concernant la liberté religieuse, lors d'une interview à la télévision publique italienne. "Nous savons qu'il y aura à Pékin trois églises dans lesquelles il sera possible de prier et d'assister à la messe et nous savons aussi que les évêques de Macao et de Hong Kong sont invités aux jeux Olympiques: ce sont des signaux positifs qu'il ne faut pas négliger", a déclaré le cardinal Bertone. "Les jeux Olympiques seront aussi l'occasion pour le monde d'inciter le peuple chinois à plus de sagesse et d'harmonie", a ajouté Mgr Bertone, à quatre jours de l'ouverture des jeux.

La Chine et le Saint-Siège n'ont plus de relations diplomatiques depuis 1951. Le rétablissement de ces relations est un enjeu pour Pékin, qui souhaite améliorer son image à l'étranger, mais le Vatican y met comme condition la possibilité de réunir sous l'autorité du pape tous les catholiques actuellement divisés entre "officiels" et "clandestins". Le pape Benoît XVI avait souligné en mai que les jeux Olympiques de Pékin étaient "un événement de grande valeur pour l'humanité entière".

En Chine, Bush ira à l'église et parlera de liberté de religion
(AFP) 1.07.08

Le président américain George W. Bush assistera à un service religieux pendant son séjour en Chine pour les Jeux olympiques et fera ensuite une déclaration sur la liberté de religion dans le pays, a indiqué un haut collaborateur de la Maison Blanche mercredi.

La Maison Blanche a par ailleurs sérieusement douté que les aires dédiées par les autorités chinoises aux manifestations lors des Jeux permettent véritablement de protester, et a réclamé qu'elles soient ouvertes non seulement aux Chinois, mais aussi aux étrangers. M. Bush se rendra dans une église pour y suivre le culte le dimanche 10 août, a indiqué Dennis Wilder lors d'une conférence de presse.

"Il fera ensuite une déclaration dans laquelle il dira ses positions sur la liberté religieuse en Chine", a dit M. Wilder, directeur pour les affaires asiatiques au Conseil de sécurité nationale, qui conseille le président. La liberté de culte, à commencer par celle de la communauté chrétienne, en Chine, est une grande préoccupation de M. Bush. M. Wilder a répété que M. Bush se rendait à Pékin avec l'intention de ne pas politiser les Jeux, mais aussi de soulever la question des libertés en dehors du stade, lors de ses entretiens politiques avec les dirigeants chinois. "On peut délivrer le message de liberté sans politiser l'événement lui-même que sont les Jeux", a-t-il dit.

Selon lui, les Etats-Unis attendent de la Chine qu'elle profite de son exposition à l'attention internationale pendant les Jeux pour montrer qu'elle ouvre sa société.

"Je suis dé*u qu'ils aient sévi contre l'internet", a-t-il rapporté.

M. Bush voudrait voir libérer les prisonniers politiques dont le gouvernement américain a soumis des listes aux autorités chinoises, a-t-il ajouté.

"Les Chinois ont annoncé qu'il y aurait des manifestants. Nous espérons vraiment beaucoup que ces aires de protestation seront ouvertes, non seulement aux citoyens chinois, mais aux étrangers", a encore déclaré M. Wilder.

Le président américain a dit espérer aussi que ceux qui voudront manifester dans ces zones pourront effectivement le faire. "Que les Chinois soient vraiment en train de prendre cette direction reste à démontrer", a observé le collaborateur de M. Bush.

China forces underground pastor from Beijing

(Reuters) Sun Jul 20, 2008 12:04am EDT

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese police have removed a prominent Beijing-based pastor and his wife from the capital as it steps up efforts to control dissidents in the run-up to the Olympics, the South China Morning Post reported on Sunday.

Zhang Mingxuan, president of the Chinese House Church Alliance, told the Hong Kong newspaper he and his ailing wife, Xie Fenglan, had been whisked off to neighboring Hebei province on Friday night after a week of harassment.

Police told the church figure, who has often met foreign officials visiting China, that they do not want him in Beijing during next month's Olympics to prevent him from meeting foreigners, the article quoted Zhang as saying. Beijing police, reached by Reuters by telephone, declined to comment.

China's ruling Communist Party is wary of religious and other groups that could challenge its grip, including unregistered Christian "house churches", and regularly detains pastors and priests.

China has about 40 million active Christians, with their numbers evenly divided between state-run and underground churches, according to expert estimates.

The newspaper quoted Zhang as saying around seven plainclothes officers on Friday raided a guesthouse they had been staying in and told them to leave.

Zhang and his wife had rejected repeated demands during the week by police from various districts to leave Beijing, it said, adding that the couple had to move from guesthouse to guesthouse six times during the week.

The newspaper said Zhang was placed under house arrest after meeting U.S. congressmen Frank Wolf and Christopher Smith last month, and was also detained for 31 hours last month while he and his interpreter were on their way to meet Bastiaan Belder, of the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee.

(Reporting by Jeffrey Hodgson)

Christian Groups Step Delicately in Sichuan

(WSJ) Relief Missions Cope With Beijing's Rules Against Proselytizing By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER May 30, 2008

CHENGDU, China -- After the May 12 earthquake that devastated China's Sichuan province, Jonathan Bright, a 30-year-old American teacher at a Christian school in South Korea, gathered disaster supplies and headed to the quake zone to help. He never made it.

Before his flight got under way from Beijing to Chengdu, Sichuan's capital, Mr. Bright dropped a card with references to scripture and details about a Christian radio station in the airplane's restroom, drawing the attention of the crew. Chinese police boarded the plane and questioned him about his intentions before releasing him to take another flight to the quake zone if he wished. Mr. Bright decided to return home. "They cared only because they thought I was trying to make new Christians," he says.

In the wake of the disaster, China has opened its doors to outside aid in the form of money, supplies and volunteers. One caveat on the more than 160 million yuan ($23 million) that the government says has come in from religious groups, from inside and outside China: no missionary work. Mr. Bright's experience reflects the tensions and suspicions kindled by Christian aid to Chinese who are suffering in the quake's aftermath. Communist Party leaders and evangelicals, long at odds over religious freedom, are now feeling out new terrain. Within the evangelical community itself, the unusual situation has raised questions about how closely to hew to Beijing's strictures.

Franklin Graham, president and chief executive of the aid organization Samaritan's Purse and son of evangelical pioneer Billy Graham, says he has no qualms about holding back on religious activity if it enables him to deliver aid to the quake victims.

"When people are dying, you demonstrate the love of God by just being there with them and responding," he says. "This isn't the time that you want to preach. There are opportunities for that later."

When the quake struck, Mr. Graham was in China on an official visit with government religious-affairs officials and Chinese-sanctioned churches. He immediately promised $300,000 for the officially registered churches and used his access to begin negotiating with authorities for a much larger airlift of supplies. Mr. Graham says his was the first U.S. nongovernmental organization to land supplies in Chengdu. Officials never explicitly told Mr. Graham that his organization couldn't engage in evangelism, he says, but he "knew the ground rules" going in. "We never asked to preach in Sichuan," he says. "We just said we are Christians."

China's State Administration for Religious Affairs says foreigners pursuing religious activities in China must abide by a set of rules, which include bans on religious brochures and proselytizing without permission, among other activities.

When Samaritan's Purse launched a 747 filled with supplies from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Chengdu on May 23, the group was joined at a news conference by a representative of the Chinese embassy. The supplies, which included more than $1 million in tents and water-filtration systems, were distributed through the Chinese government and military after training sessions in how to use the equipment by Samaritan's Purse staff.

Another large Christian charity organization working in Sichuan, Operation Blessing, says it never proselytizes anywhere in the world and has a longstanding relationship with the Chinese government.

Christian organizations that are distributing aid to quake victims through less official channels say they appreciate the efforts of the groups going the official route but that their work comes with fewer strings attached. Bob Fu, president of the U.S.-based China Aid Association, says his group sent volunteers into China on Monday with 20 family-size tents. They plan to personally deliver the tents to the needy through their contacts at nonsanctioned Chinese churches in the area.

"We give out the tents and say, 'Jesus loves you,'" says Mr. Fu. "We want to pray for them, comfort their hearts and give them counseling. What these victims need is holistic, not just physical needs of water and food." That can put his volunteers, and those from other unofficial Chinese churches, in danger. He says he has already heard reports of three Chinese Christian volunteers being detained by police for praying while delivering aid. The Sichuan religious-affairs bureau didn't respond to questions on the matter.

Carl Moeller, the Los Angeles-based president of religious-freedom group Open Doors, says he thinks religion should transcend any political concerns.

"When Jesus said go out to the world and preach the gospel, he didn't say just go to those places where you can get a visa," he says. "To do evangelism in its purest sense is not about politics."

Mr. Bright, the teacher who was taken off his flight to Chengdu, says that before he left China a friendly taxi driver in Beijing took him to a government agency collecting donations, where he dropped off his supplies. "It seemed to be a direct answer to prayer," he says.

--Juliet Ye contributed to this article.

Write to Geoffrey A. Fowler at geoffrey.fowler@wsj.com

In China, Ethnic Tension Expands

(WSJ) Muslim Group Draws Attention; More Angst in Tibet By GORDON FAIRCLOUGH April 8, 2008

SHANGHAI -- Chinese paramilitary police sealed off a market town in central China last month and detained dozens of ethnic Uighurs, said local residents and a government official.

The arrests, which occurred in late March in Henan province but weren't reported at the time, appear to be part of an expanding Chinese government effort to prevent dissatisfaction among Turkic Uighurs from exploding into the kind of unrest that has swept Tibetan areas of the country.

Witnesses said hundreds of armed police descended on the Henan town of Shifosi, where there is a significant population of Uighur jade traders. "About 50 Uighurs were arrested," said a local government official.

Unrest in Tibetan areas has continued. On Sunday, police attempted to prevent a group of Tibetans from joining a religious procession with Buddhist monks in Sichuan province, sparking a confrontation, according to a local Tibetan resident.

Tibetans threw stones at the police, who responded by firing nonlethal antiriot rounds at the crowd, injuring several, the resident said. Calls to the police station in the town where the incident occurred went unanswered on Monday.

Uighurs (pronounced WEE-gers) are predominantly Muslim and are the largest ethnic group in the northwest border region of Xinjiang, which covers about a sixth of China's territory and is rich in oil and other resources. Uighurs' grievances with the government are similar to those voiced by Tibetans. Many complain of restrictions on civil liberties and religious practices and say that they also face economic discrimination by China's majority Han Chinese. On March 23, before the police arrived in Shifosi, Uighurs in the southern Xinjiang city of Hotan raised banners and passed out leaflets calling on fellow Uighurs to join an independence movement. Those demonstrators were quickly arrested, the government says. Hotan is the source of some of China's most prized jade.

The Hotan government says the protests involved a "small number" of people, but Uighur exile groups say the actual number may have been in the hundreds.

Uighur activists say that once unrest started in Tibetan areas in early April, Chinese authorities began rounding up suspected Uighur dissidents in an effort to forestall similar protests in Xinjiang during the run-up to the Beijing Olympics in August.

Xinjiang "has so many natural resources, so the Chinese government has been extremely ruthless when it comes to cracking down on Uighurs," said Rebiya Kadeer, president of the Uyghur American Association in Washington.

Ms. Kadeer, a Uighur human-rights campaigner who was imprisoned in China for more than five years, said China is intent on creating a "very stable situation" to avoid disruptions to the Olympic torch relay, which is scheduled to pass through Xinjiang in late June.

"Every day, Uighurs are being detained or arrested. Uighurs are paying a tremendous price for the Olympic torch relay," Ms. Kadeer said.

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, who was in Beijing for meetings Monday, said the committee "has expressed its serious concern" about the situation in Tibet and "calls for a rapid peaceful resolution" there.

Write to Gordon Fairclough at gordon.fairclough@wsj.com

China's Ethnic Tension Isn't Limited to Tibet

(WSJ) Tension in Xinjiang Remains High Between Local Turkic Uighurs and Han Settlers By GORDON FAIRCLOUGH April 5, 2008

This outpost of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps is home to nearly 20,000 ethnic Han Chinese, transplanted from China's eastern heartland to this arid border territory -- which is home to a large Turkic Muslim population.

Such settlements, combined with large infrastructure investments and, at times, heavy-handed measures to silence dissent, were supposed to cement government authority in Xinjiang. But a new protest by Turkic Uighurs and continued unrest in Tibetan areas illustrate the limitations of Beijing's approach to dealing with minorities.

Roughly 2.3 million Han Chinese, China's dominant ethnic group, now live in settlements set up by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, an outgrowth of the People's Liberation Army forces that occupied Xinjiang in 1949. The Corps has built highways, railroads, power plants and universities.

Coupled with this drive for economic advancement is a second function: security. The Corps says its plays "an irreplaceable, special role" in "cracking down" on separatists. Members can function as an armed militia to work side-by-side with the army and police forces.

"The battle against ethnic separatism and invasion has never stopped," Zhao Guangyong, the Corps' vice secretary general, said in an interview. The Corps plays a "very important role in promoting national unity."

The Corps' dual duties reflect the central government's general approach toward ethnic-minority groups: Try to win them over with economic growth, while stamping out opposition to Beijing. In Xinjiang, that has meant restricting both religious freedoms and civil rights.

"It's a very volatile situation," says Nicholas Bequelin, a China researcher for Human Rights Watch, a New York-based advocacy group. "People feel their cultural identity is being threatened." As China this past week sought to contain unrest in Tibetan areas following violent riots in Lhasa on March 14, it acknowledged for the first time that a protest had also taken place in Xinjiang. On March 23 demonstrators in a market in the southern Xinjiang city of Hotan unfurled banners and handed out fliers urging their fellow Uighurs (pronounced WEE-gers) to join an independence movement, the government there says. Police moved quickly to silence what authorities described in a statement issued Tuesday as "a small group" of Uighurs trying to "trick the masses into an uprising."

Fu Chao, an official with the Hotan district administration, said the Uighur protesters had been inspired by events in Tibet and that they were calling for the creation of an independent Islamic state in Xinjiang. Security in Xinjiang has been stepped up. Uighur activists say that as soon as protests started in Tibet, China began detaining suspected Uighur dissidents in an effort to prevent unrest from spreading to Xinjiang, which shares a long border with Tibet. Tensions had already been building. Chinese officials say they arrested a Uighur woman last month who was part of a failed Muslim separatist plot to hijack a Chinese jetliner. In February, Chinese police also raided what they said was a meeting of Islamic terrorists and shot and killed two men and arrested 15 others near Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi.

China's state-controlled Xinhua News Agency reported Friday that fresh protests occured Thursday night in a Tibetan area of the southwestern province of Sichuan. Xinhua said one government official was injured in the unrest.

The International Campaign for Tibet on Friday released its own account of the incident, saying at least eight people were killed on Thursday in western Sichuan province after armed police fired on a crowd of several hundred monks and local residents. The protests took place outside the Tongkor monastery 60 kilometers from Ganzi town, the pro-Tibet organization said in a statement.

Chine: un nouvel évêque pour le diocèse de Canton, avec l'accord du Vatican
(in Le Monde) AFP 04.12.07 | 11h58

Le nouvel évêque de Canton, dans le sud de la Chine, a été ordonné mardi par l'Eglise catholique officielle chinoise, apparemment avec le soutien du Vatican, a-t-on appris de source officielle.

La cérémonie d'ordination de Joseph Gan Junqiu, 42 ans, s'est déroulée dans la cathédrale du Sacré-Coeur de Canton mardi matin, a indiqué à l'AFP le porte-parole de l'Eglise catholique officielle, Liu Bainian.

Gan Junqiu remplace Lin Bingliang, décédé en 2001, a précisé M. Liu.

Sa désignation intervient après celle, intervenue vendredi, de Francis Lu Shouwang, 41 ans, comme nouvel évêque de Yichang, dans la province du Hubei (centre), ont indiqué les autorités religieuses chinoises.

Selon l'agence spécialisée dans l'information religieuse Asianews, la nomination de Gan est intervenue en novembre 2006, puis approuvée par le pape, mais la cérémonie a été longtemps retardée, car le prêtre avait fait publiquement allégeance au pape.

Tout comme celle de l'évêque de Canton, celle de Francis Lu Shouwang a reçu le feu vert du Vatican, a affirmé l'agence.

Le porte-parole de l'Eglise officielle chinoise a refusé de se prononcer à ce sujet, indiquant seulement que de telles informations étaient un signe encourageant.

"Si ces informations sont vraies, c'est de bon augure pour les relations entre la Chine et le Vatican", a-t-il dit.

Il a également précisé que durant la cérémonie, Mgr Gan s'était engagé à respecter "les lois de l'Etat, à sauvegarder l'unité sociale et la stabilité sociale et à contribuer à l'édification d'une société socialiste harmonieuse".

Tous les responsables de l'Eglise officielle sont tenus à de tels engagements, a précisé M. Liu.

Asianews souligne que le nouvel évêque de Canton "a de bonnes relations avec le gouvernement, qui a participé à la restauration de la cathédrale de Canton, dédiée au Sacré-coeur et rouverte au public en février".

La Chine a rompu ses relations diplomatiques en 1951 avec le Vatican, qui venait de reconnaître Taiwan. La rupture est devenue définitive en juillet 1957 avec la création d'une Eglise officielle contrôlée par le régime communiste.

Il y a, selon le Vatican, entre 8 et 12 millions de fidèles catholiques qui sont restés fidèles au Saint Siège et font partie de l'Eglise "clandestine".

China's Official Catholic Church To Ordain New Bishop (WSJ)

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

December 3, 2007 7:45 p.m.

GUANGZHOU (AP)--China's official Catholic church planned Tuesday to appoint a new bishop who has publicly declared his loyalty to the Vatican, religious officials said.

The Rev. Joseph Gan Junqiu's appointment will be held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in the booming southern city of Guangzhou, once known as Canton, said Lu Guocun, a vice chairman of the state-backed Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

Appointing bishops has been a major sore point between Beijing and the Vatican. China forced its Roman Catholics to cut ties with the Vatican in 1951, shortly after the officially atheist Communist Party took power.

Chinese authorities have repeatedly refused to consult with the Holy See when choosing new bishops, saying the pope should not meddle in the country's internal affairs. But there has been growing consultation between the official church and Rome on appointments. Many bishops named by China have later sought - and received - the Vatican's blessings.

Lu told The Associated Press he did not know whether the Vatican supported Gan's ordination.

"Our Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association really doesn't concern itself with such things," Lu said.

In Rome, however, a Vatican official who requested anonymity due to the issue's sensitivity told the AP that Gan, 43, has the Holy See's approval because he has publicly declared his fidelity to Pope Benedict XVI. The pope requested the loyalty of Chinese bishops in his letter to the faithful earlier this year.

AsiaNews, a Vatican-affiliated missionary news agency, has also reported that Gan had publicly declared his loyalty and that the Vatican thus approved his appointment.

The Chinese Catholic Web site http://www.cncatholic.org said that Gan was a native of the southern province of Guangdong and had studied in Belgium, France and Hong Kong.

Olympics Bible ban 'blatant lie' (SCMP)

Bocog slams religious censorship reports

Peter Simpson in Beijing

Updated on Nov 08, 2007

Beijing Olympic organisers have accused European newspapers and religious global news agencies of "blatantly lying" after claims that Bibles are to be banned from the Games next year.

The Catholic News Agency published a report drawn from the popular Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport and the Spanish daily La Razon, which said Bibles and other personal religious items carried by athletes, coaches and managers were banned at Olympic venues.

The allegations were also circulated on the Christian Broadcasting Network.

"This is not true. There has been a misunderstanding," said Wang Hui , executive deputy director of Bocog. "Athletes and other individuals can bring with them their own Bibles. But no one can bring in multiple copies for public distribution."

Earlier, another official from the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games gave an angrier response to an inquiry by the South China Morning Post.

"These reports are nothing but blatant lies," the official said. "Bibles and religious scriptures of the major faiths brought by athletes into the Olympic village are allowed, as are places of worship within the Olympic Village. This is the same as in all other Olympiads."

La Razon said the Bible-ban "rule" was "one of a number of signs of censure and intolerance towards religious objects, particularly those used by Christians in China".

The reports appeared to contradict policies released at an Olympic world press briefing last month, during which Bocog revised its religious promotion policy paper for the purpose of clarity. It stated that individual Bibles and other religious items would be allowed, while promotional material, banners and mass copies of religious literature meant for distribution would be banned.

While the policy is clearly aimed at Falun Gong members threatening activism, groups advocating Tibetan independence and the like, the reports - which have been widely circulated among the world's 1.1 billion Catholics - have angered Bocog.

Such claims are likely to put further strain on the already tense ties between the Vatican and Beijing.

"Currently in China, five bishops and 15 priests are in prison for opposing the official church," the Catholic News Agency said in its version of the report.

An International Olympic Commission spokeswoman said Article 61 of the Olympic Charter prohibited religious, political and commercial propaganda but allowed faiths to be worshipped by individuals.

She blamed a misunderstanding, "maybe from the translation service", for the "incorrect reports".

"We have been in contact with the journalists who originally wrote these stories and clarified the policy. Athletes will be allowed personal religious items in Beijing."

Beijing does not have diplomatic ties with the Vatican and has clashed frequently with it over the right to appoint bishops on the mainland.

La mort suspecte d'un évêque chinois clandestin suscite l'inquiétude du Vatican (le Monde)

Article publié le 12 Octobre 2007 Par Henri Tincq Source : LE MONDE Taille de l'article : 388 mots

Extrait : DANS un commentaire critique de L'Osservatore romano daté du 9 octobre, le Vatican a exprimé son étonnement et son inquiétude après la mort et l'incinération, jugées suspectes, de Mgr Jean Han Dingxiang, évêque « clandestin » du diocèse de Yongnian (Hebei), décédé le 9 septembre à l'âge de 68 ans dans un hôpital de Shijiazhuang, capitale de la province. Le Vatican aura mis un mois à réagir, sans doute pour des besoins de vérification de l'information venue de la Fondation dite du « cardinal Kung », siégeant aux Etats-Unis. Selon cette source, Mgr Han s'est éteint sans avoir reçu les derniers sacrements.

Activists arrested and beaten in 'worst crackdown in five years' (SCMP)

Didi Kirsten Tatlow in Beijing Oct 12, 2007

The weeks before a major political meeting on the mainland are traditionally tense, but activists say the run-up to the Communist Party's 17th National Congress, which opens on Monday, has been marked by the severest wave of repression in years.

Dozens of arrests, detentions, beatings and abductions have taken place since August, peaking during the week-long holiday following National Day on October 1, activists say.

Targets have included Christians, lawyers, petitioners, Olympics critics, writers and democracy activists.

"My husband Hu Jia says that this year's National Day, which we normally call guoqingjie [national celebration day], has been a guoshangjie [national mourning day]", said 24-year-old Zeng Jinyan, eight months' pregnant with the couple's first child. Mr Hu and Ms Zeng, well-known campaigners on a range of issues including Aids, the environment and free speech, are finalists for the European Parliament's prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, to be announced at the end of the month.

Mr Hu has been under house arrest since May. On October 5, police permitted him to accompany his wife for a regular pre-natal checkup - along with 12 plainclothes policemen. Since October 7 he has been confined to home again.

"I don't know what will happen when she gives birth, if I am allowed to go to hospital, or what if I need to go out and fetch something for her when she's in hospital?" Mr Hu said.

Ms Zeng said: "The police always say, `if you take the opportunity of going out to do anything else or meet anyone else, don't be surprised if we turn nasty'."

Christian activist Hua Huiqi, who was beaten by police yesterday, had suffered weeks of harassment beforehand, his family said.

Their troubles began on October 1, when a dozen policemen surrounded their Beijing home, trapping Mr Hua, his wife Wei Jumei and their 11-year-old child inside. Last week police smashed windows in their home and turned away Mr Hua's brother, who tried to deliver badly needed food supplies.

"We're down to eating garlic," Ms Wei said on the telephone. Then the line went dead.

Nicholas Becquelin of Human Rights Watch said it was the most severe crackdown in years. "This crackdown came very gradually, very systematically. They are proceeding layer by layer," he said. "Earlier this year they tightened up the media, then universities were told what meetings and workshops they could not hold. Then they took out the petitioners and the thuggish tactics we are seeing now are the last wave."

Mr Hu said it was "the worst I've seen in five years".

"Things are always tight before, say, a National People's Congress meeting," he said. "But this time it's worse, because it's the party congress, and power in China resides with the Communist Party, and they are determined to hold on to complete power."

Nor are the authorities seemingly reined in by considerations of their image a year ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Mr Hu said they were rushing to get rid of people they considered trouble-makers before the world focused on China next year. "They are doing 80 per cent of the work now in order to only have to do 20 per cent next year."

Mainland authorities generally justify such sweeps in the name of maintaining social stability and harmony. Beijing police refused to comment.

Other high-profile victims include Christian and rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng. Gao's family say he disappeared on September 22.

Also missing is Yao Lifa, a well-known election activist from Qianjiang in Hubei province, whose son, Yao Yao , says he has been unable to contact his father since Sunday. Olympics-related eviction protester Ye Guozhu, his brother, Ye Guoqiang and son Ye Mingjun, have been arrested or unofficially detained, family sources said.

Lawyer Li Heping, an advocate for people he says are victims of miscarriages of justice, says he was abducted and beaten for four hours on September 29. Mr Li believes the attack was linked to moves to build a case against the use of laojiao, or re-education through labour, a form of extra-judicial punishment.

Major targets of the laojiao system are petitioners, tens of thousands of whom travel to the capital every year to seek justice for abuses of power by local officials.

"Locking up petitioners in laojiao camps is illegal and against our constitution", said Mr Li, who says he began gathering evidence against the widespread practice in June. Currently, thousands of petitioners are on the run in Beijing, the hostels they normally stay in closed or knocked down. Petitioners are a major target of the pre-congress sweep, with the government fearing they may stage demonstrations.

Still others who have disappeared include Huang Yan, 36, reportedly kidnapped on September 22. Mr Hu says he received a panicked phone call from her during which she said she had been beaten in police custody for three days before being taken back to her native Jinzhou, in Hubei, on September 26. There she slipped out of custody while her captors played mahjong but was recaptured soon afterwards.

Similarly, Zheng Dajing, a Beijing resident and native of Yunxi county in Hubei who is active in the defence of petitioners, was reportedly abducted at the end of August and has not been heard of since.

Pastor Liu Fenggang, reached by telephone at his home in Beijing's Haidian district, said he, his wife and eight-year-old son were allowed out only after lengthy negotiations with police.

"I have to tell them where I'm going, who with, to do what, and promise I won't meet other people," said Mr Liu, who was released in February after a three-year jail term related to his Christian activism.

"Since I got out it's been like this all the time. They lock me up for National Day, when there are foreign dignitaries in town. The other day there was an Olympics cycle race and they locked me up for that. It's endless."

While Mr Liu's case is known to international rights activists, other, less well-known people have also disappeared, such as 50-something Beijinger and internet democracy activist Zhang Wenhe, last seen by his family on September 29. Mr Zhang's family believes he is being held in a psychiatric hospital. Other high-profile arrests include Hangzhou writer Lu Gengsong and land activist Yang Chunlin, who collected signatures for a petition calling for "Human rights, not Olympics". Mr Yang's sister said he had been tortured in jail in Heilongjiang province.

Outspoken internet commentator Zhang Zuhua was asked to leave Beijing during the congress, sources said.

Activist beaten as rival police clash in melee (SCMP)

Campaigner knocked unconscious Didi Kirsten Tatlow in Beijing

Oct 12, 2007

Dozens of police from rival city districts in Beijing fought a pitched battle yesterday over Christian activist Hua Huiqi, who was knocked unconscious during the melee and admitted to hospital.

Four factions took part in the battle that saw Chongwen district police and security guards, whom witnesses said worked for New World China Land (SEHK: 0917) - a subsidiary of Hong Kong's New World Development - squaring off against police from Fengtai district and plain-clothes national security officers, who had been monitoring Mr Hua for weeks.

"You killed my brother!" Hua's sister, Hua Yaping , screamed at men in street clothes believed to be officers from Mr Hua's local police station who had beaten him.

Mr Hua lay immobile on a gurney in Tiantan Hospital for an hour, eyes shut, before being treated. His trousers were wet from urine and dirty from the beating, according to another sister, Hua Huilin .

A woman answering the telephone at the district police station declined to comment, adding the officers were all in a meeting. She also declined to take questions.

Attempts to contact New World in Hong Kong and its office in Beijing for comments were not successful because office staff said the managers responsible were not available.

The incident, a complex one involving police and private security forces representing both political and economic interests, illustrates what human rights activists say is a growing trend on the mainland - attacks by private security guards, often representing companies involved in property deals with local governments, are on the rise.

Mr Hua, under scrutiny by the authorities due to his long history of underground church activism, also has a history of opposing home evictions in the capital.

He has been detained repeatedly in recent years for leading a house church, as well as for his rights defence efforts on other issues.

Recently, Mr Hua began helping petitioners from the provinces who travel to Beijing seeking justice. He was released from jail in July after serving six months for "obstructing justice".

Under heavy police guard, Mr Hua moved out of his Chongwen district home on Monday and was taken to Fengtai district, in the southwest of the city.

But Fengtai police did not want him in their jurisdiction, and yesterday he returned to Chongwen with a dozen Fengtai policemen.

He was greeted by Chongwen policemen and the developer's security guards, according to witnesses.

Both those groups were equally intent on not letting him return to his home, which is slated for demolition.

Late yesterday Mr Hua was still in hospital. Family members said doctors were refusing to discuss his condition, and the family was being watched by police.

Christian group: Businesses closed in western China for 'religious infiltration' (IHT)

The Associated Press Wednesday, October 10, 2007 BEIJING: China has closed two businesses whose owners allegedly sought Christian converts in traditionally Muslim western China, and revoked the visa of an American citizen for illegal proselytizing, a rights monitoring group said Wednesday.

The companies' business licenses were pulled last month by authorities in the Xinjiang region after they were accused of distributing religious material, converting Muslims and conducting "infiltration activities," the U.S.-based China Aid Association said in a news release.

The group did not identity the American, citing ongoing legal issues within China. It wasn't immediately clear whether the individual had been deported.

The report follows word this summer that China had kicked out more than 100 suspected foreign missionaries, including many in Xinjiang, in a campaign to prevent proselytizing ahead of next year's Beijing Summer Olympics.

Christian mission groups from around the world say they plan to quietly defy the Chinese ban on foreign missionaries and send thousands of volunteer evangelists to Beijing next year.

Evangelicals worked the crowds at the Olympics in Athens, Sydney and Atlanta but the groups say the Beijing Games offer an opening like no other, in a communist country that conservative Christians have long reviled.

China bans open proselytizing and worship outside the Communist Party-controlled official church. However, foreign faithful who live in China are often able to evangelize privately while working as English teachers, humanitarian workers or in business.

Efforts to contact the companies cited by the association on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

At one, a branch of Xinjiang Pacific Agricultural Resources Development Company, Ltd., no one answered the phone. The other company, Xinjiang Jiaerhao Foodstuff Company Limited reportedly owned by a Muslim convert, had no listed number.

A woman who answered the phone at the regional government's religious affairs bureau said she had no information about the companies or the accused American.

L'ordination d'un nouvel évêque à Pékin marque un dégel des relations avec le Vatican (Le Monde)

LE MONDE | 22.09.07 | 15h38 « Mis à jour le 22.09.07 | 15h38

PÉKIN CORRESPONDANT

L'ordination, vendredi 21 septembre, du nouvel évêque de Pékin, Mgr Joseph Li Shan, 42 ans, est sans doute le signe d'un réchauffement des relations entre la Chine et le Vatican. Membre de l'Association des catholiques patriotiques de Chine - l'Eglise "officielle" -, Joseph Li Shan avait été élu le 16 juillet par un collège de prêtres, religieux et laïcs du diocèse, pour succéder à Mgr Michael Fu Tieshan, décédé en avril.

Cette élection n'est pas conforme au mode de désignation des évêques qui est le seul privilège du pape. Mais l'Osservatore Romano, organe officiel du Saint-Siège, a déclaré, vendredi, que Benoît XVI avait " concédé la communion" à ce nouvel évêque de Pékin, considéré comme un homme de foi et un vrai pasteur, ainsi qu'à Mgr Xiao Zejiang, ordonné évêque coadjuteur de Guiyang le 8 septembre.

C'est un geste de "bonne volonté", dit-on à Rome, vis-à-vis du fonctionnement de la partie officielle de l'Eglise chinoise qui compterait, au total, 12 millions de fidèles, clandestins et officiels. Cette double approbation par le pape d'un évêque dans la capitale et à Guiyang démontre le souci de Rome de poursuivre un processus menant au rétablissement des relations diplomatiques interrompues depuis 1951.

En 2006, trois évêques avaient été nommés autoritairement par le régime, sans consultation de Rome. Le pape avait réagi à cette " provocation". La lettre envoyée en juin 2007 à tous les catholiques chinois par Benoît XVI, dans laquelle il appelle de ses voeux la libre nomination des évêques et la réunification des deux Eglises avait été accueillie avec réserves par les autorités de Pékin.

Le Vatican laisse régulièrement entendre qu'il est prêt à rompre ses relations diplomatiques avec Taïwan afin de reconnaître la République populaire. Mais l'un des points d'achoppement reste cette épineuse question de la nomination des évêques, dont le Saint-Siège veut faire son domaine réservé. Pékin ne peut se résoudre à cette issue et met en avant le concept de "non-interférence" dans ses affaires intérieures. Le régime veut continuer à contrôler le choix de ses cadres catholiques.

Une nouvelle génération se lève d'évêques "officiels" nommés par Pékin, avec la fiction d'une élection par la base, mais ayant reçu a posteriori l'approbation du pape. Les élus cherchent même à recueillir la bénédiction du pape avant leur ordination, mais ils le font discrètement de peur de provoquer l'Eglise officielle. Le pouvoir sait que le rétablissement de liens diplomatiques avec le Vatican contribuerait à rehausser le prestige de la Chine à l'étranger, mais les responsables de l'Association patriotique redoutent qu'une telle perspective ne les dépouille de leurs prérogatives.

Bruno Philip

Article paru dans l'édition du 23.09.07

Beijing's Catholics tread carefully in installing a bishop (FT)

By Mure Dickie and Tom Mitchell

Published: September 21 2007 03:00 | Last updated: September 21 2007 03:00

Acolytes at Beijing's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception have been practising hard for today's planned ordination of a new bishop,even if the man about to lead China's highest-profile diocese has remained out of the public eye. "Father Li is on a retreat. We don't know where he is," one member of the cathedral staff offered during a visit this week.

Li Shan's retreat has not taken him out of the spotlight, however. His planned enthronement puts him at the heart of one of the most sensitive issues in ties between communist Beijing and the Vatican: a battle for the loyalties of a new generation of Chinese bishops.

If all goes to plan and he reappears for his ordination today, Father Li will be the seventh bishop installed since April last year, when the elevation of a cleric approved by the Chinese government - and not Pope Benedict XVI - ruptured a fragile truce. He will also be the latest 40-something bishop to replace octogenarians and nonagenarians who have been dying at the rate of about one a month.

China and Rome have for two years been discussing the possible restoration of diplomatic relationssevered in 1951 and Chinese Catholics make clear they want to see an end to hostilities.

"We all hope the government and the Vatican can resolve their differences," said one Beijing parishioner who asked to be identified only as "Maria". "As Catholics we will of course obey the Pope, but as Chinese we also have to listen to the Chinese government."

The appointment of a bishop of Kunming, in south-western Yunnan province, was the first of three installations last year without Pope Benedict's approval. Three other recent appointees have enjoyed both Beijing's and Rome's blessing, illustrating the complex relationship between China's state-sanctioned church, overseen by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, and an "underground" church loyal to Rome.

The Vatican has remained silent on Fr Li's status. Liu Bainian, CCPA vice-chairman, told the Financial Times he did not know whether Rome's ap-proval had been secured "because there is no official communication channel be-tween China and the Vatican".

However, one person fam-iliar with the situation says Fr Li is in possession of a papal bull, drafted in Latin, confirming the Pope's approval. "He has been approved and he has been informed," the person said. "It is a good augur for the future. The Holy See didn't want another Bishop Fu."

Fu Tieshan, the capital's last Catholic bishop, died in April. Never approved by the Vatican, Bishop Fu held a senior government position - vice-chairman of the Nat-ional People's Congress, China's rubber-stamp parliament - and was buried with full state honours.

The former bishop of Beijing was 76 when he died - young compared with some. One bishop, Meng Ziwen, died in January at the age of 104.

The huge generation gap between China's elderly bishops and their 40-something successors arises from decades of church persecution under Mao. But it has also ensured that Fr Li, who is 42, and his peers will lead the church in China for decades to come. About eight new appointments, all expected to be acceptable to the Vatican and in their 40s, are expected in the next six months.

While the schism between China's official and underground church often appears stark, the relationship is in fact more complex.

"It's no good talking about two churches - they are so intertwined," says Audrey Donnithorne, a retired scho-lar and expert on China's underground church, who estimates that more than80 per cent of bishops in the country are recognised by both the CCPA and Rome.

For bishops who refuse to have anything to do with the CCPA, however, the consequences remain severe. The US-based Cardinal Kung Foundation says: "Every one of the approximately 45 bishops of the underground Roman Catholic Church is either in jail, under house arrest, under strict surveillance or in hiding."

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

Freedom to worship a fundamental right, says Beijing (SCMP)

Reuters

Sep 21, 2007

Beijing yesterday denounced as groundless a US report that accused it of curbing religious freedoms, calling it interference in its internal affairs.

In an annual report, the US State Department last week accused Beijing of persecuting Tibetan Buddhists, Uygur Muslims and Christians outside state-sanctioned churches.

"During the period covered by this report, officials continued to scrutinise and, in some cases, harass unregistered religious and spiritual groups," the State Department said.

Beijing expressed "strong dissatisfaction" with and "firm opposition" to the report, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said yesterday.

"Respecting and protecting citizens' right to worship freely is a long-standing, fundamental policy of the Chinese government. It is a fact that cannot be denied," Ms Jiang said.

"We demand the US side stop interfering in China's internal affairs and do more things that help boost mutual understanding and trust."

While the US report listed cases of abuse, it also noted some "improvements" in Beijing's respect for religious freedom as the government emphasised the role of religion in promoting a "harmonious society".

Vatican approval for new bishop (SCMP)

Ambrose Leung

Sep 20, 2007

The Vatican has given its approval for the ordination of Father Joseph Li Shan as bishop of Beijing, after a last-minute effort to ensure the mainland's selected priest gained recognition by the Holy See.

The approval came as Catholics in the capital prepared for a Mass tomorrow at which Father Li will become the first mutually recognised bishop in Beijing in almost 50 years.

Last night, church sources confirmed that the Vatican had given its approval, although officials from the Holy See have made no announcement of the decision.

It has brought relief to church members, who had been concerned that the ordination could be considered "illicit" by the Vatican - as were three cases last year - if papal approval could not be granted in time.

Father Li, who is known as a down-to-earth priest with strong pastoral experience in the diocese, was named bishop-elect by Beijing in July. However, the Vatican had difficulty contacting him, which was a condition for the approval process to proceed.

Last night, Anthony Liu Bainian , a vice-chairman of the state-backed Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which controls the mainland's church, said he had heard about the Vatican's decision. But he stressed that there had been no official contact between Beijing and the Holy See due to a lack of diplomatic relations. He added that the Holy See's recognition of Father Li's status was a gesture of goodwill.

"I am sure this will be beneficial to improving Sino-Vatican relations," Mr Liu added.

The Union of Catholic Asian News agency reported that several mainland bishops were invited to participate in the ordination Mass, with Bishop Fang Xingyao of Linyi as principal celebrant.

The episcopal see of Beijing is considered important and politically sensitive. The position was left vacant after the death of Michael Fu Tieshan earlier this year, a cleric who was unilaterally ordained by Beijing in 1979 without Vatican approval.

Vatican to pursue Beijing ties (FT)

By Guy Dinmore in Rome

Published: September 12 2007 03:00 | Last updated: September 12 2007 03:00

The death in Chinese custody, and hurried secular funeral, of a Roman Catholic bishop who was operating "underground" in the country have cast a shadow over efforts by Pope Benedict XVI to normalise relations between the Vatican and China.

However, observers said that in spite of the crude treatment of Bishop Han Dingxiang at the hands of the Chinese authorities, the trend towards closer ties between the Vatican and China - one of the pope's diplomatic priorities - appears set to continue.

Bishop Han Dingxiang of Yongnian in Hebei province, who spent a total of 35 years in prison, died on Sunday, aged 71, a Vatican source confirmed. He had been ill with lung cancer and had spent the last eight years in custody.

However, in a further sign of rapprochement between China's officially recognised Catholic church and the Vatican, a new bishop was ordained on Saturday in Guiyang in southern China by the state organisation with the approval of the Vatican.

AsiaNews, which is affiliated to the Vatican, reported that bishops and priests from the underground church, knowing of the Vatican's approval, decided to participate with the official church in the ordination of Paolo Xiao Zejiang. This was possibly the first joint celebration and marked an important step in reconciliation as requested by the pope in his landmark letter of June 30 to the Chinese people, AsiaNews said. The letter urged the underground faithful and followers of the state-run church to overcome decades of animosity and distrust.

The Vatican's insistence on its right to appoint bishops is one of the most significant obstacles preventing restoration of the relations severed by the Chinese Communist party in 1951.

The US-based Cardinal Kung Foundation, which has close ties to China's "underground" Roman Catholic movement, said Chinese authorities hurriedly summoned a few close relatives to Bishop Han's bedside in the hours before his death.

He was cremated and his ashes buried within six hours of his death in a public cemetery with no priests present. The Foundation says four underground bishops remain in prison.

Liu Bainian, the conservative head of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association which risks losing authority and wealth through reconciliation, last week accused the Vatican of wanting to impose anti-communist bishops. He said China should accelerate the appointment of new bishops to meet a serious shortage in the country.

China Says Vatican Trying To Appoint Anti-Communist Bishops (WSJ)

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

September 5, 2007 11:32 p.m.

BEIJING (AP)--The Vatican is pushing to get anti-communist bishops appointed on the mainland, a senior official in China's state-sanctioned Catholic Church said in comments published Thursday.

Pope Benedict XVI has been reaching out to Beijing, eager to bring China's estimated 12 million Catholics under Rome's wing. But the two sides have been at loggerheads over the Vatican's insistence on naming bishops.

"While Chinese Catholics want to select those (bishops) with good religious knowledge and love toward the country and the people, the Vatican wants those who oppose the Communist Party (of China)," Liu Bainian was quoted as saying by the China Daily newspaper.

No specific examples of Vatican bishop choices were mentioned. The two sides have no formal ties but are believed to quietly confer on some bishop choices.

Liu told the paper the dispute over the bishop selection process remained the key obstacle to improving Sino-Vatican relations.

China wants to speed up the bishop selection and ordination process because many of the country's current bishops are elderly and 40 of the country's 97 official Catholic diocese have no bishop, Liu said.

"We are in dire need of bishops," Liu was quoted as saying.

China forced its Roman Catholics to cut ties with the Vatican in 1951, shortly after the officially atheist Communist Party took power. Worship is allowed only in government-controlled churches, which recognize the Pope as a spiritual leader but appoint their own priests and bishops.

Millions of Chinese belong to unofficial congregations that are not registered with the authorities.

China has said before it also wants the Vatican to cut ties with Taiwan, a self-governed island that Beijing considers part of its territory.

Bishop Of Underground Chinese Catholic Church Detained (WSJ)DOW JONES NEWSWIRESAugust 23, 2007 4:02 a.m.

BEIJING (AP)--An elderly bishop in China's underground Catholic church has been detained by police for the second time this year, a U.S.-based monitoring group said Thursday.

Bishop Jia Zhiguo, 73, was taken away Thursday by security agents in Zhengding, a city in northern Hebei province, the Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement.

It wasn't immediately clear why he was detained, the group said.

A woman from Zhengding Public Security Bureau, who refused to give her name, said she wasn't aware of the case. The phone of Zhengding Religious Affairs Bureau rang unanswered.

China broke ties with the Vatican in 1951 and demands that Catholics worship only in government-controlled churches, which recognize the pope as a spiritual leader but appoint their own priests and bishops.

Millions remain loyal to the pope and worship in secret, but priests and members of their congregations are frequently detained and harassed.

In June, Pope Benedict XVI made his most significant attempt to unite China's Catholics, issuing a letter urging the underground faithful and followers of the state-run church to overcome decades of animosity and distrust.

The foundation said that since the release of the letter, Jia was told several times by the religious affairs bureau that he wasn't allowed to publicly support and promulgate the letter.

It said more police had been watching Jia in the last five days and that anyone visiting him was questioned.

The statement said the action "by the Chinese government is not only contrary to the spirit of the China letter issued by the Pope almost two months ago, but also contrary to the generally accepted principles of human rights and to the spirits of the Olympic games."

Jia, who was ordained in 1980, has been detained at least 11 times since January 2004, according to the Kung Foundation. The most recent time was in June, but it isn't known for how long he was detained.

Jia's Zhengding diocese, 240 kilometers southwest of Beijing in Hebei, is a traditional stronghold of Catholic sentiment in northern China.

The rights group said a priest, Father Wen Daoxiu, of Qingyuan County in Hebei, was also detained on Aug. 15 for unknown reasons.

It said Wen, in his mid-50s, was in poor health.

A man named Li who answered the phone at the Qingyuan Public Security Bureau and another official surnamed Zhao from the Qingyuan Religious Bureau said they weren't aware of Wen's case. Both refused to give their full names.

The Cardinal Kung Foundation is named for the late Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pinmei of Shanghai, who spent 30 years in Chinese prisons and died in the U.S. in 2000 at age 98.

Report:Bishop Of Underground Chinese Catholic Church Detained (WSJ)

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

August 23, 2007 4:02 a.m.

BEIJING (AP)--An elderly bishop in China's underground Catholic church has been detained by police for the second time this year, a U.S.-based monitoring group said Thursday.

Bishop Jia Zhiguo, 73, was taken away Thursday by security agents in Zhengding, a city in northern Hebei province, the Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement.

It wasn't immediately clear why he was detained, the group said.

A woman from Zhengding Public Security Bureau, who refused to give her name, said she wasn't aware of the case. The phone of Zhengding Religious Affairs Bureau rang unanswered.

China broke ties with the Vatican in 1951 and demands that Catholics worship only in government-controlled churches, which recognize the pope as a spiritual leader but appoint their own priests and bishops.

Millions remain loyal to the pope and worship in secret, but priests and members of their congregations are frequently detained and harassed.

In June, Pope Benedict XVI made his most significant attempt to unite China's Catholics, issuing a letter urging the underground faithful and followers of the state-run church to overcome decades of animosity and distrust.

The foundation said that since the release of the letter, Jia was told several times by the religious affairs bureau that he wasn't allowed to publicly support and promulgate the letter.

It said more police had been watching Jia in the last five days and that anyone visiting him was questioned.

The statement said the action "by the Chinese government is not only contrary to the spirit of the China letter issued by the Pope almost two months ago, but also contrary to the generally accepted principles of human rights and to the spirits of the Olympic games."

Jia, who was ordained in 1980, has been detained at least 11 times since January 2004, according to the Kung Foundation. The most recent time was in June, but it isn't known for how long he was detained.

Jia's Zhengding diocese, 240 kilometers southwest of Beijing in Hebei, is a traditional stronghold of Catholic sentiment in northern China.

The rights group said a priest, Father Wen Daoxiu, of Qingyuan County in Hebei, was also detained on Aug. 15 for unknown reasons.

It said Wen, in his mid-50s, was in poor health.

A man named Li who answered the phone at the Qingyuan Public Security Bureau and another official surnamed Zhao from the Qingyuan Religious Bureau said they weren't aware of Wen's case. Both refused to give their full names.

The Cardinal Kung Foundation is named for the late Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pinmei of Shanghai, who spent 30 years in Chinese prisons and died in the U.S. in 2000 at age 98.

China and its Catholics

Cardinal principles (The Economist)

Jul 5th 2007 | BEIJING AND HONG KONG

From The Economist print edition

An historic chance of reconciliation with Catholics, if not democrats

IF THEY were seeking to justify their deep suspicion of Catholics, Chinese officials would have felt vindicated. On July 1st tens of thousands of Hong Kong citizens chose to mark their first decade under Chinese rule by marching through the streets to demand more democracy. Among them was Hong Kong's top Catholic, Cardinal Joseph Zen. But once easily riled, China is learning to swallow its anger.

So too are some of its critics. Pope Benedict, whose church has long upbraided China for its suppression of religious freedom, is now trying to make friends. In a rare and lengthy letter to Catholics in China last week the pope wrote in conciliatory terms about China's state-controlled Catholic church and bishops in it who have been appointed without the Vatican's approval. He also stressed that the church in China had no mission to change the country politically.

Ten years ago, when the British left Hong Kong, many Chinese officials expressed fears that pro-democracy politicians would plunge the territory into turmoil. They worried that they would also step up pressure on the Communist Party to change its dictatorial ways. But much has changed. After ten years of rapid economic growth, and with little social unrest, the party today seems less plagued by thoughts of its possible sudden demise.

There were far fewer pro-democracy marchers this year than in 2003, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets on July 1st in what has since become an annual ritual. The Hong Kong Transition Project, an academic group studying the impact of China's takeover, believes China's image has improved. In a survey in April it found nearly 70% of 800 respondents were satisfied with China's management of Hong Kong's affairs. Just before the British withdrawal, only 45% thought China was handling things well.

The demonstration was part of a well- oiled series of events marking the ten-year anniversary that day. As dragon-dancers and marching bands wound up their street celebrations, the democrats began their protest. They stuck to an authorised route finishing outside the Hong Kong government's headquarters. Few in Hong Kong believe the local authorities have much say in the territory's political development. But mainstream democrats diplomatically refrain from protesting outside the central government's local offices.

Such restraint allowed China's president, Hu Jintao, three days in Hong Kong largely untroubled by signs of dissent-he left just before the march. Mr Hu's duties included swearing in Donald Tsang, knighted by the British and a devout Catholic, for another five years as Hong Kong's chief executive. Also sworn in, as the new financial secretary, was John Tsang (no relation), a former private secretary to Hong Kong's last British governor, Chris Patten. Ten years ago China was nervous about giving top jobs to those with colonial links. Now it is far less concerned. Among those deployed to marshal the demonstration was a sprinkling of British officers.

Cardinal Zen's participation was condemned by a senior official from China's state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. The official, Liu Bainian, was quoted by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post as asking how the Vatican could win China's trust if it appointed people like the cardinal.

China's response to the pope's letter has been muted, which Cardinal Zen sees as a good sign. In fact, China may well be quietly pleased. One of the letter's aims was to discourage Catholics in China from shunning the state-sponsored church. This was established in 1957, six years after China severed ties with the Vatican and expelled foreign priests. Many local priests were imprisoned. Several are still in jail because of their opposition to the government church. China says it now has about 5m Catholics, but there are believed to be many millions more who worship in "underground" churches with priests not recognised by the state. The pope's letter said Catholics could worship in state churches, even if their priests had no links with the pope, if finding Vatican-approved clergy caused "grave inconvenience".

One of the main obstacles to improved relations between China and the Vatican has been the Vatican's insistence that it appoint bishops. China objects, fearful of losing control of the church. But there are signs of a possible compromise. In recent years it has often allowed names to be submitted to the pope in advance for his secret approval before its "official" ordination takes place. Last year, however, China made three appointments without Vatican clearance. Many believed this was partly prompted by Pope Benedict's decision to make Joseph Zen a cardinal in February 2006. Cardinal Zen, who dismisses any link with his appointment, described the ordinations as "acts of war".

The pope's letter was more tactful. It said some bishops who had been ordained under pressure without the Vatican's approval had subsequently asked for the pope's acknowledgement. He said he had granted this, taking into account "the sincerity of their sentiments and the complexity of the situation". The letter said the "very small number" of bishops who had not asked for or received the pope's blessing were "illegitimate". But they were still considered "validly ordained" as long as it was by validly ordained bishops.

Taiwan vaut bien une messe

China has strong motives to work out a deal. A rapprochement with the Vatican would do a lot to improve its human-rights image in the West. It would also deal a huge diplomatic blow to Taiwan. Last month Costa Rica switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, leaving Taiwan with just 24 states that still officially recognise it. The Vatican is by far the most influential of them.

For all Cardinal Zen's misgivings, China is not in a pugnacious mood. As it prepares to host the Olympic Games in Beijing next year, it is anxious to project a softer image. In Hong Kong Mr Hu, normally stiff and uncharismatic, briefly played table-tennis with a 13-year-old in front of television cameras.

China has railed against a proposal by Taiwan's president, Chen Shui-bian, to hold a referendum next year on whether Taiwan should apply to join the UN under the name Taiwan instead of the island's official title, the Republic of China. (To China, this sounds too much like a cutting of links with the mainland.) But so, in more diplomatic terms, have the Americans, who have much to lose if the Chinese get truly angry. For now, they are not.

Vatican Letter Tries to Bridge Chinese Divide (WSJ)

By ANDREW BATSON

July 2, 2007BEIJING -- Pope Benedict XVI published an open letter to Chinese Catholics that seeks to resolve decades of rancorous division among the nation's believers and to speed the restoration of official ties between the Vatican and Beijing.

In his most significant statement on China since becoming the head of the Roman Catholic Church in 2005, Pope Benedict reached out to Chinese officials long suspicious of Catholicism. He said the church doesn't aim to challenge the Chinese government's authority, and he praised China's ancient civilization and recent progress. While calling for greater religious freedom, he said the Vatican is open to negotiations and believes an agreement for restoring relations with China is possible.

"This situation of misunderstandings and incomprehension weighs heavily, serving the interests of neither the Chinese authorities nor the Catholic Church in China," Pope Benedict wrote in the letter, dated May 27 and made public Saturday.

The letter marks the culmination of Vatican efforts in recent years to heal a decades-old rift that has hindered the growth of Catholicism in China. The Vatican and China haven't had formal ties since the 1950s, when the officially atheist Communist Party expelled foreign priests and placed Catholics under the direction of a state-sponsored organization. That official repression has led China's estimated 12 million Catholics into an often-bitter split between those who accept government supervision and those who reject it. Many Catholics worry that those internal divisions, and the uncertainty over relations with the Vatican, have handicapped the church's ability respond to a growing interest in religion in China.

Catholics are heavily outnumbered in China by various Protestant denominations, which have expanded rapidly. Pope Benedict seemed to share that assessment, calling such splits "a weakness in the church that causes concern."

A spokesman for China's foreign ministry said officials were aware of the letter, but didn't comment on its contents. China is "willing to continue frank and constructive dialogue with the Vatican in order to seek a solution to the two sides' differences," the spokesman, Qin Gang, said in a statement.

The pope's letter, addressed to individual believers and clergy, urged Chinese Catholics to put aside past grievances and focus on their shared faith. He praised adherents of underground churches, who have often been harassed and imprisoned in China.

Pope to mend relations with Beijing (FT)

By Robin Kwong in Hong Kong

Published: July 1 2007 16:22 | Last updated: July 1 2007 16:22

Pope Benedict XVI has expressed confidence that the Vatican and China can resolve their differences over bishop appointments, one of the long-standing barriers to normalisation of relations between the two.

The Pope extended the olive branch in a letter issued at the weekend. In the first official papal letter addressed to all Chinese Catholics in 49 years, he also renewed calls for "respectful and constructive" dialogue between the Holy See and Beijing, which have not had official diplomatic relations since 1951.

China's 11m Catholics are courted by both "underground" churches loyal to Rome and state churches operating under the auspices of the Catholic Patriotic Association. Unilateral bishop appointments, which China resumed in 2006 after a six-year hiatus, exacerbated tensions between the world's most populous nation and the Vatican, which claims a global following of 1.1bn Catholics.

According to an informal arrangement dating back to 2000, the Holy See was given time to review and tacitly endorse bishopric candidates before their anointment by the CPA. But that truce was broken last year when Beijing ordained two of its own bishops. China appeared to be reacting to Pope Benedict's elevation of Hong Kong bishop Joseph Zen, an outspoken advocate for democracy and religious freedom, to cardinal.

In his letter, Pope Benedict maintained that the right to appoint bishops was "a constitutive element of the full exercise of the right to religious freedom", but hoped an agreement could be reached regarding choice of candidates, the publication of bishop appointments and the government's recognition of new bishops.

He gave individual bishops in China's underground churches the right to decide whether they should seek formal recognition from Beijing ? provided church principles were observed.

The Pope also issued new directives allowing Catholics to attend mass celebrated by "illegitimate", or state-appointed, bishops.

China's foreign ministry reiterated that diplomatic ties cannot be resumed unless the Vatican ceases its recognition of Taiwan and forswears "interference" in China's internal affairs.

Liu Bainan, the hardline vice-chairman of the CPA, said the official church would continue unilaterally appointing bishops until Sino-Vatican relationships were normalised.

Benoît XVI défend ses ouailles en Chine (Libération)

Pékin critique les accusations portées par le pape sur la liberté de culte. Par P.N. (avec AFP, Reuters)

QUOTIDIEN : lundi 2 juillet 2007

La Chine est un pays officiellement athée, et le Vatican n'a pas à s'immiscer dans ses affaires intérieures au nom de la religion, rappellent les autorités de Pékin à Benoît XVI. Dans une longue lettre envoyée samedi aux catholiques chinois, le pape a critiqué les restrictions exercées par le pouvoir chinois sur la liberté de culte, qui «étouffent l'activité pastorale» et sèment la division parmi les fidèles, réclamant «une authentique liberté religieuse».

«Réaliste». «S'il est prêt à améliorer les relations avec la Chine, le Vatican doit agir plutôt que de créer de nouveaux obstacles», a répliqué dans un communiqué très court le ministère des Affaires étrangères, rappelant son leitmotiv : «Le Vatican doit interrompre ses prétendues relations diplomatiques avec Taiwan et reconnaître que la République populaire de Chine est le seul gouvernement». Une attitude «réaliste», selon Pékin. Benoît XVI, qui souhaite «une normalisation», a pourtant mis les formes, dans sa lettre publiée en mandarin sur le site du Vatican et surtout destinée aux 8 à 12 millions de pratiquants chinois : «Il est vrai que, ces dernières années, l'Eglise jouit en regard du passé d'une plus grande liberté», «le Saint-Siège demeure ouvert aux négociations qui sont nécessaires pour dépasser le difficile moment présent», ajoute-t-il, «mais on ne peut nier que demeurent de graves limitations qui touchent le cÏur de la foi». «Je suis conscient que la normalisation demande du temps et qu'elle présuppose la bonne volonté des deux parties», dit aussi Benoît XVI, qui a raison sur ce point.

Durcissement. L'histoire est déjà longue entre les deux Etats. En 1951, le Vatican a reconnu Taiwan, où s'était enfui le nonce apostolique. Le gouvernement de Pékin, obsédé par le retour de l'île rebelle dans la «mère patrie», a alors obligé les -catholiques à couper tout lien avec le Saint-Siège, et a cessé ses relations diplomatiques. Depuis 1957, les fidèles ne sont autorisés à pratiquer qu'au sein de l'Association -catholique patriotique de Chine, entièrement contrôlée par l'Etat communiste. Persécutés -durant la Révolution culturelle, ils ont profité des -années 80 pour se réorganiser, certains dans le giron de l'Eglise -patriotique. Les autres, 30 à 40 % selon le -Vatican, ont créé des Eglises -clandestines, qui sont plus ou moins tolérées aujourd'hui en Chine.

Il y aurait 130 diocèses, 80 évêques officiels en Chine, dont 90 % sont reconnus par -Rome, selon les spécialistes. Le principal écueil, pour des -relations normalisées, reste la nomination des évêques, dont Pékin veut garder la prérogative. En 2006, l'ordination de trois évêques de l'Eglise -patriotique sans l'accord du Vatican a provoqué un durcissement très net. Après deux millénaires européens et américains fastes pour les catholiques, le pape espère que le troisième sera asiatique : « Une grande moisson de foi sera recueillie dans le vaste et vivant continent asiatique», écrit-il dans sa lettre aux Chinois. Cela ne semble pas entrer dans les projets immédiats de -Pékin.

http://www.liberation.fr/actualite/monde/264649.FR.php

© Libération

Guiding China's Catholics (WSJ)

July 3, 2007

The Vatican released a pastoral letter from Pope Benedict XVI to China's Catholics on Saturday, and its major theme was, as expected, reconciliation. Most commentators will focus on what that means for diplomatic relations between the Vatican and China. But the Pope's more important advice is aimed squarely inside the Chinese Church itself.

Since the Party expelled the Vatican's representative in 1951, many Catholics in China have worshipped in underground churches. They had good reason to do so; as it did to other religious groups, the Party unleashed waves of terror onto the Catholic community that exists to this day. The Communists then set up their own, state-run churches -- no small irony for a godless ideology.

The situation created a conundrum for the Catholic faithful: Should they worship underground, at personal risk, or above ground, at a church not recognized by the Vatican? Many parishioners view the state-run churches as heretical; others didn't believe underground bishops who claimed to be recognized by the Vatican -- as most are. The Vatican further confused matters by maintaining that Beijing-ordained priests could give communion in some circumstances.

Enter Pope Benedict. China's bishops, he writes, can pursue reconciliation with the state-run church so long as it's safe to do so and they can maintain their devotion to the Vatican. "The clandestine condition," he writes, "is not a normal feature of the Church's life." And, "especially where there is little room for freedom . . . to evaluate the morality of an act it is necessary to devote particular care to establishing the real intentions of the persons concerned."

Benedict's letter may upset Chinese Catholics who have suffered at the hand of the Party. It might also distress those in the Vatican who would prefer to take a harder line, insisting that China ease religious curbs before the Vatican strikes a softer note. In any event, the Pope is stepping out on a limb, as his advice to underground bishops to come out in the open may encourage the Party to crack down harder on those who remain in hiding.

Still, the Pope's broader message carries a nugget of advice for China's Communist policy makers, too. After all, how moral are the Party's intentions toward its faithful? And how will those policy makers be judged?
 

Le ton monte entre le pape et la Chine (le Figaro)

L.S. (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP.

Publié le 30 juin 2007

Actualisé le 30 juin 2007 : 14h58

Pékin oppose une fin de non-recevoir aux demandes de Benoît XVI sur la liberté religieuse.

« Il faudra du temps et de la bonne volonté des deux parties pour parvenir à la normalisation des relations avec la République populaire de Chine », avait prévenu Benoît XVI, en adressant une lettre à la Chine et aux Chinois. Le pape ne se trompait pas, mais Pékin ne semble pas disposé, à l'heure actuelle, à afficher sa « bonne volonté ». En guise de réponse, la Chine a en effet a appelé le Vatican à adopter une « attitude réaliste », à ne pas créer de « nouveaux obstacles » à l'amélioration des relations bilatérales, et à « ne pas s'ingérer dans les affaires intérieures de la Chine au nom du catholicisme », selon un communiqué du ministère chinois des Affaires étrangères.

Dans sa lettre rendue publique samedi, le pape demandait à la Chine « le respect d'une authentique liberté religieuse » et rejetait l'idée d'une Eglise soumise aux autorités chinoises et indépendante du Vatican.

Le Saint-Siège et la Chine n'entretiennent plus de relations diplomatiques depuis 1951 et la reconnaissance de Taïwan par le Vatican. La Chine a rappelé dans son communiqué les deux conditions du rétablissement de ces relations : la rupture des relations diplomatiques entre le Vatican et Taïwan, que la Chine considère comme une province, ainsi que le pouvoir de nommer les membres du clergé. Le souverain pontife indique de son côté ne reconnaître aucune légitimité au collège des évêques catholiques de Chine constitué sous l'autorité du pouvoir politique, ni à « l'association patriotique » qui contrôle l'Eglise officielle, et réclame de pouvoir nommer seul les évêques chinois

Le pape veut renouer le dialogue avec la Chine, mais exige la liberté totale des catholiques(le Monde)

LE MONDE | 02.07.07 | 14h50 ¥ Mis à jour le 02.07.07 | 14h51

Renouer le dialogue avec la Chine est l'une des grandes ambitions de Benoît XVI. Depuis la rupture de 1951, un pape a publié pour la première fois, samedi 30 juin, un document complet, précis, sans langue de bois, pour signifier à la Chine sa volonté de dialogue, en maintenant toutes ses exigences. Les catholiques de Chine sont un "petit troupeau" (8 à 12 millions), exemplaire par sa "fidélité", témoin d'une foi "persécutée", écrit le pape, mais sa "normalisation" serait un pas de géant pour les libertés.

Indépendance par rapport à l'Etat, unité des fidèles et du clergé dans une seule Eglise, liberté de nomination des évêques : tels sont les trois messages que le pape a adressés à Pékin.

Concernant l'indépendance, l'Eglise en Chine ne réclame "aucun privilège". Elle n'a d'autre ambition qu'un "service humble et désintéressé" de toute la population. Les catholiques se conduisent comme "de bons citoyens, des collaborateurs respectueux et actifs du bien commun". En contrepartie, ils exigent un exercice totalement libre de leur religion.

Le pape admet qu'"au regard du passé, l'Eglise de Chine jouit d'une plus grande liberté". Mais il ajoute que "de graves limitations touchent le coeur de la foi" et "étouffent" encore l'activité des croyants. Il ne veut plus de la situation de "conflit permanent", sans pour autant tomber dans la "complaisance". Jamais un pape n'avait établi aussi fermement l'agenda de reprise d'un dialogue.

Le deuxième message est celui de la réunification d'une Eglise coupée en deux depuis la Révolution chinoise : d'une part, les catholiques "officiels", dépendant de l'Association patriotique créée il y a cinquante ans - organisme étatique de direction et de surveillance du clergé et des fidèles - ; d'autre part, les catholiques "clandestins". Benoît XVI dénonce "la prétention de ces organismes imposés, voulus par l'Etat, de se placer au-dessus des évêques et de vouloir guider la vie de l'Eglise". Pour lui, l'Association patriotique est une anomalie, de même que le "Collège des évêques catholiques de Chine", qui ne peut pas se prévaloir du statut d'une Conférence épiscopale.

DES ÉVÊQUES LIBREMENT NOMMÉS

Le pape lance donc un appel à l'unité des fidèles et du clergé chinois au sein d'une seule Eglise indépendante de l'Etat, libre de sa direction et de ses relations avec l'Eglise universelle, symbolisée par le pape à Rome. "La clandestinité ne rentre pas dans la normalité de la vie de l'Eglise", insiste-t-il. Les actuels prêtres et évêques clandestins doivent être reconnus sans tarder par les autorités civiles.

Reste l'irritante question de la nomination des évêques, soit le contrôle à la base des communautés, prétexte à des démêlés réguliers. La plupart des évêques "officiels" sont nommés par les autorités et leur situation est régularisée a posteriori par Rome au cas par cas. Pékin n'entend pas renoncer à cette prérogative qui, pour le pape, est intolérable. C'est à lui qu'il appartient de nommer les évêques (4 500 dans le monde), afin de garantir l'unité de direction de son Eglise. Tout contrevenant s'expose à des sanctions.

Pékin accuse le Vatican d'ingérence dans les affaires chinoises. Benoît XVI répond qu'il n'a aucune intention de "léser la souveraineté" de la Chine. Des nominations d'évêque ont pu se faire récemment d'un commun accord entre Pékin et la diplomatie vaticane. Mais l'ordination de trois d'entre eux en 2006, sans l'accord préalable de Rome, a provoqué un rude conflit. Le pape rêve d'une "liberté totale" de nomination des évêques chinois, d'un accord définitif pour résoudre les contentieux liés au choix des candidats, à la publication de leur nom, à leur reconnaissance. Il y a urgence. La Chine compte 148 diocèses : 49 évêques sont morts depuis 2000 et les deux tiers ont plus de 80 ans !

Cette lettre de Benoît XVI avait été d'abord soumise aux dirigeants chinois. La première réaction du ministère des affaires étrangères n'augure pas d'un changement d'attitude. Elle rappelle les deux conditions que pose Pékin à tout rétablissement des relations : la rupture du Vatican avec Taïwan (Pékin sait que le Vatican n'y fait plus obstacle) et sa souveraineté sur les nominations. Un an avant les Jeux olympiques, le ton ouvert de cette lettre est pourtant une chance inespérée de reprise d'un dialogue.

Henri Tincq Article paru dans l'édition du 03.07.07

Benoît XVI demande à Pékin de garantir aux citoyens catholiques le plein exercice de leur foi (le Monde)

LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | 30.06.07 | 14h12 ¥ Mis à jour le 30.06.07 | 14h17

Dans une lettre au clergé et aux catholiques de Chine publiée samedi 30 juin, le pape Benoît XVI demande à Pékin "le respect d'une authentique liberté religieuse" et rejette l'idée d'une Eglise soumise aux autorités chinoises et indépendante du Vatican.

Cette lettre du pape était attendue depuis le 20 janvier, quand s'était tenue au Vatican une réunion sur la situation de l'Eglise en Chine, où vivent 8 à 14 millions de catholiques. Le Saint-Siège et la Chine n'entretiennent plus de relations diplomatiques depuis 1951 et la reconnaissance de Taïwan par le Vatican. La rupture entre les deux Etats s'est encore aggravée en juillet 1957 avec la création sur le continent d'une Eglise catholique patriotique ("Association catholique patriotique de Chine"). Les persécutions de la Révolution culturelle visant tous les croyants aggraveront encore la situation. Avec les années 1980, et début de l'ouverture et des réformes économiques, les catholiques de l'Eglise clandestine se renforcent et un début de normalisation des rapports entre les deux églises prend forme.

"DU TEMPS ET DE LA BONNE VOLONTÉ"

Dans sa lettre, le pape adresse des signes de bonne volonté au pouvoir chinois, demandant aux fidèles d'être "de bons citoyens, des collaborateurs respectueux et actifs en faveur du bien commun de leur pays". En contrepartie, il appelle l'Etat chinois à "garantir à ces mêmes citoyens catholiques le plein exercice de leur foi, dans le respect d'une authentique liberté religieuse". Benoît XVI demande ainsi à Pékin la liberté de nommer les évêques et souligne que l'idée "d'une Eglise indépendante" du Vatican "est incompatible avec la doctrine catholique".

En ce sens, Benoît XVI ne reconnaît aucune légitimité au collège des évêques catholiques de Chine constitué sous l'autorité du pouvoir politique, ni à "l'association patriotique" qui contrôle l'Eglise officielle. "La prétention de certains organismes, voulus par l'Etat et étrangers à la structure de l'Eglise, de se placer au-dessus des évêques et de guider la vie de la communauté, ne correspond pas à la doctrine de l'Eglise", répète-t-il.

"Ouvert aux négociations", le pape souhaite cependant "que l'on trouve un accord avec le gouvernement pour résoudre certaines questions concernant soit le choix des candidats à l'épiscopat". Réaliste, le souverain pontife souligne cependant qu'il faudra "du temps et de la bonne volonté des deux parties" pour parvenir à "la normalisation des relations avec la République populaire de Chine".

Wednesday, 27 June 2007 (11 hours ago)

BosNewsLife News Center

NEWS ALERT: China Detains Eight House Church Leaders in Shandong and Shaanxi Provinces (in the Economist)

BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife)-- Eight Chinese 'house church' leaders from China's Shaanxi and Shandong provinces remained detained and faced the prospect of serving time in labor camps Wednesday, June 27, after a police crackdown on Bible distribution and worship services, rights watchers and fellow Christians said.

Shanghai Bishop Hopeful For Vatican-China Progress (WSJ)

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

June 11, 2007 9:29 p.m.

ROME (AP)--The government-backed Catholic bishop of Shanghai says he hopes the Vatican and China can restore ties, but warns that reconciling believers from the official and underground churches won't be easy.

In an interview with the Italian religious affairs magazine 30 Days, Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian said the faithful from China's official church were eagerly awaiting an upcoming letter from Pope Benedict XVI on the state of the Catholic church in China.

But the faithful in the underground church were worried, he was quoted as saying.

"They underground faithful cannot help but have some concerns, or the fear of being repudiated," he said, according to the magazine.

China forced its Roman Catholics to cut ties with the Vatican in 1951, shortly after the officially atheist Communist Party took power. Worship is allowed only in government-controlled churches, which recognize the pope as a spiritual leader but appoint their own priests and bishops.

Millions of Chinese, however, belong to unofficial congregations loyal to Rome. Many unofficial congregations hold services openly, but in some regions they are routinely harassed and their priests and bishops arrested.

Benedict has been reaching out to Beijing, eager to bring China's estimated 12 million Catholics under Rome's wing. But the two sides have been at loggerheads over the Vatican's insistence on naming bishops.

In a landmark move, the Vatican and the Chinese government agreed on the nomination of Jin's auxiliary bishop, Joseph Xing Wenzhi, who was consecrated in 2005. But not even that nomination has gone over smoothly with the underground faithful, Jin said.

"We had at first hoped that the underground faithful would recognize him, because he was nominated by Rome. But reality isn't so simple," Jin was quoted as saying.

Many Catholics in Shanghai reject the authority of Jin and others in the official Church. They regard another elderly priest in the underground church, Joseph Fan Zhongliang, as Shanghai's true bishop.

"Reconciliation and the return of unity of the registered and non-registered community will find great difficulties," Jin reportedly said.

Jin, 91, said he was hoping Rome would name Xing coadjutor bishop of Shanghai and make him his successor. "I truly hope that his consecration becomes a model," he said, according to the magazine

Jin said he hoped the Beijing government would understand the Vatican's insistence on naming bishops, and said the pending nomination of Beijing's new bishop would be something to watch.

Beijing Bishop Fu Tieshan of the official church died April 20.

"I hope that the Holy See and the Chinese government will develop good contacts to avoid unnecessary problems" in naming Fu's successor, Jin was quoted as saying.

Jin acknowledged that some officials of the official Patriotic Association were opposed to any restarting of ties between the official church and the Vatican.

"But I personally believe that the Patriotic Association cannot intervene in China's political decisions. All we need is some high-level political official to decide to relauch relations with the Vatican, and the Patriotic Association won't have the ability to create obstacles," he was quoted as saying.

Chinese priests in property dispute return home

The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2005/12/26/chinese_priests_in_property_dispute_return_home/

By Ben Blanchard and Chris Buckley | December 26, 2005

BEIJING (Reuters) - A group of Chinese Catholic priests and nuns locked in a property dispute with a city government went home over the weekend, but another group of nuns remain holed up in a historic chapel demanding that its ownership be returned to the Church.

Nuns belonging to the Sisters of Charity have occupied the abandoned chapel in the northern port city of Tianjin since August, demanding the building be returned to their hands, one of the nuns, who gave her surname as Liu, said on Monday.

It is the second land dispute in Tianjin between the city government and the Catholic Church, highlighting the tensions between religion and government control in China, even as Beijing courts diplomatic ties with the Vatican.

The priests and nuns are all members of China's official Catholic Church, which respects the Pope as a spiritual leader but rejects his administrative authority.

Liu said the chapel has "historic significance" for her order. In 1870, the building, an adjoining orphanage and nunnery, as well as other Tianjin churches were burned down in anti-Western riots, and 10 nuns were killed.

In 1903 the chapel was rebuilt and it remained in Church hands until after the Communist takeover in 1949. In later decades the chapel disappeared behind new buildings and the nuns, who regrouped in 1980, assumed it was destroyed.

But in 2003 the demolition of a handkerchief factory revealed the chapel had survived, and the nuns have since been demanding its return, Liu said.

About 10 nuns have occupied the chapel day and night since August, when developers moved to demolish it.

"If we didn't move in, they would have taken it away from us," said another nun, who asked not to be named. "The place means a lot to us, but officials have just ignored our requests for its return."

HEADING HOME

The other religious property protest in Tianjin petered out over the weekend when the last of a group that originally numbered almost 50 returned to their home province of Shanxi.

The mayor promised that if the remaining 13 priests, nuns and seminarians went home, he would deal with the dispute, one of the priests said.

"We've not given up our demand," the priest said by telephone from Shanxi. "But we had to give the mayor face. He said the deadlock could not go on as it would make the situation even harder to solve."

The low-rise, colonial-style building in the former Italian concession in Tianjin, southeast of Beijing, was owned by the Shanxi Catholics before the 1949 Communist revolution.

The building was then seized by the government and has never been handed back despite a 1993 promise to do so, the priest said.

"We believe that if the Tianjin government has given their word, it will be solved soon. We still want them to give the building back so we can manage it," he said, before the line was abruptly cut. He could not be reached again.

The Tianjin city government declined comment, but sent a fax of an article from the official Xinhua news agency dated December 23 on the dispute.

"The Tianjin government has a firm and clear policy on religious properties and the protection of the legal rights of religious groups," it quoted a spokesman from the State Bureau of Religious Affairs as saying.

Chinese police regularly harass members of the underground Roman Catholic Church, but generally leave religious services alone.

Beijing has had no ties with the Vatican since 1951 and insists relations cannot be resumed unless the Holy See severs links with self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own.

Since China restored officially controlled religion in the 1980s, it has selectively returned confiscated land to Catholic churches. But in many places land remains in dispute.

Chrétiens en ombres chinoises (le Monde)

LE MONDE | 23.05.07 | 14h45 ¥ Mis à jour le 23.05.07 | 14h45

ENVOYÉ SPÉCIAL À FENGXIANG ET DANS LA PROVINCE DU HEBEI

Mgr Li Jinfeng est un drôle de paroissien : l'évêque de Fengxiang, gros bourg poussiéreux de la province du Shaanxi, fait partie de la mouvance catholique de l'Eglise clandestine chinoise et exerce illégalement son ministère tout en s'étant assuré du soutien bienveillant des responsables locaux du Parti communiste... Une situation singulière mais plus si inédite dans la Chine d'aujourd'hui : les rapports évoluent entre l'Etat et certains "résistants" d'une communauté de catholiques pour lesquels seule comptait autrefois l'autorité du Vatican.

L'évêque vit dans le petit presbytère situé derrière une église de style pour le moins baroque, sorte de monumentale pâtisserie architecturale que personne ne pourrait qualifier de clandestine. Elle domine de sa vingtaine de mètres une grande cour ouverte sur l'une des grandes rues de la ville. Plantée au coeur de Fengxiang, mais dépourvue de toute existence légale, l'église symbolise ces "zones grises" qui, en Chine, bousculent les lignes séparant l'interdit, l'autorisé et le toléré.

Les relations qu'entretient l'évêque avec les autorités sont le signe de changements intervenus entre les deux Eglises : l'officielle, dépendante du régime, non reconnue par Rome, et la souterraine, qui obéit au Vatican et résiste depuis des lustres au pouvoir chinois. Quatre millions de fidèles appartiennent à la première, entre cinq et neuf millions à la seconde. Monseigneur est un petit homme de 87 ans, bon pied, bon oeil malin derrière une grosse paire de lunettes. Il parle et lit le latin, a appris des rudiments d'italien et même de français en solitaire.

Son passé résume à lui seul les vies brisées des catholiques de Chine populaire. Arrêté en 1958, sept ans après la rupture des liens entre le Vatican et Pékin et alors que la répression s'était durcie contre les croyants de toutes religions, il sera, jusqu'à la fin de sa peine, en 1973, ballotté de prisons en camps de travail. Puis il est forcé d'intégrer une unité pour anciens détenus. Il devient mineur.

"J'ai réussi, grâce à Dieu, à traverser toutes ces épreuves sans trop de mal, observe-t-il aujourd'hui, assis dans son petit bureau croulant sous les livres. A la mine, j'étais gardien et l'on ne m'obligeait pas à descendre au fond du trou, même si je le faisais parfois pour gagner un peu d'argent supplémentaire."

Mgr Li retrouve la liberté en 1979. Son prédécesseur, malade, très âgé, lui demande de prendre la succession. Le 25 avril 1980, il est nommé évêque, dans la clandestinité absolue. "La bulle du pape en peau d'agneau annonçant ma nomination a été envoyée à Hongkong, car je ne pouvais directement la recevoir ici..."

Le prélat n'a jamais accepté d'adhérer à l'Association patriotique des catholiques, créée en 1982. Celle-ci rassemble les catholiques d'une Eglise aux ordres du pouvoir, qui nomme elle-même ses évêques le plus souvent au mépris du Saint-Siège. "Les envoyés de l'Association, qui connaissaient évidemment mon existence, m'ont demandé de les rejoindre à plusieurs reprises. J'ai toujours refusé, estimant qu'il ne m'était pas possible de devenir membre d'une organisation ne reconnaissant pas le Saint-Père..."

Mais, malgré sa résistance au "formatage", l'évêque a forgé "une très bonne relation avec les cadres locaux", selon son expression. Un modus vivendi qui lui permet de garantir la sécurité de ses 20 000 fidèles, de ses 40 prêtres - dont 10 étudient à l'étranger, l'un d'eux en France - et de ses 39 moines et religieuses. "Cette situation est un cas assez unique", admet-il.

Un jour, des cadres communistes sont venus le voir pour lui demander de coopérer avec le gouvernement. Après moult discussions et négociations, on a fini de part et d'autre par choisir le compromis, le refus d'une confrontation stérile. Après tout, Mgr Li est aussi le garant pour le pouvoir de la bonne conduite de ses fidèles... Des catholiques de l'Eglise souterraine sont venus le voir il y a quelque temps. Ils n'arrivaient pas à croire qu'il était encore membre de leur mouvance. "Je ne menace pas le pouvoir en portant la mitre et la crosse, dit-il avec malice. A l'exception des questions religieuses, je suis tout à fait d'accord avec les autorités !" Quel contraste pour le vieil évêque ! En novembre 2001, des policiers avaient fait irruption au presbytère, lui enjoignant "de prendre beaucoup de vêtements", l'arrêtant pour plusieurs semaines avant de lui conseiller vertement de suivre des "sessions de rééducation" !

La situation de Mgr Li est "inédite". Mais il n'est plus le seul à avoir choisi la voie du compromis, comme le prouvent plusieurs exemples de "collaboration" avec les autorités de la part de prélats autrefois clandestins. Ce nouveau type de relations a contribué à détendre l'atmosphère dans tout le district. Il suffit de sortir de Fengxiang pour s'en convaincre. Non loin de la ville, à environ une demi-heure de piste à travers les hauts plants de maïs, une église à deux clochers, construite en 1995, rompt la monotonie du paysage. Au bout, c'est le village de Wa Yaoutou, 400 âmes dont 300 catholiques.

"Nous n'avons aucun problème avec les autorités", explique M. Wang, un paysan dont le père et le grand-père étaient catholiques. Assis dans le minuscule salon de sa maison bâtie dans l'unique rue, au pied de l'église, il se félicite qu'en "cas d'éventuelles difficultés il suffit d'aller en parler à l'évêque". A quelques centaines de mètres de là, les religieuses "clandestines" d'un couvent tiennent un discours semblable. La Mère supérieure se souvient qu'"il y a trois ans des gens du gouvernement local sont venus nous demander de ne pas habiter ensemble. Ils venaient de découvrir qu'ici c'est un couvent ! Mais depuis deux ans, tout va bien. Des cadres du parti viennent même discuter tranquillement avec nous." A quelques dizaines de kilomètres de là, plus loin dans la campagne, dans un autre couvent de moines franciscains, les Frères admettent que leur situation de "clandestins" s'est considérablement améliorée. Le couvent s'organise autour d'un ensemble assez vaste de bâtiments, une grande chapelle, un réfectoire, une cuisine, des cellules monastiques, des salles de travail, un potager... tout ce qu'il faut pour garantir à la dizaine de reclus un certain degré d'autarcie.

1 | 2 | suivant

Bruno Philip

Article paru dans l'édition du 24.05.07.

Une explosion des religions sous étroite surveillance (le Monde)

LE MONDE | 23.05.07 | 14h45

Garantie par la Constitution depuis 1980, après la fin des années du maoïsme athée radical, la liberté de croyance en Chine suscite un grossissement continu des rangs de presque toutes les grandes religions.

Sous l'oeil sourcilleux d'un pouvoir qui a relâché son contrôle sur l'individu mais reste très attentif à l'émergence du fait religieux, le désir spirituel renaît. Mais le régime est autant soucieux d'instrumentaliser les religions à son bénéfice quand il exalte les "valeurs morales" que de se prémunir contre l'émergence incontrôlable de groupes religieux pouvant menacer le monopole du parti. Les chiffres officiels concernant le nombre de fidèles, toutes religions confondues, sont très inférieurs à la réalité. Un sondage récent, réalisé par l'Université normale de Shanghaï, fait état d'un total de 300 millions de croyants en République populaire, soit trois fois plus que les chiffres du régime...

De source officielle, il y aurait ainsi 5 millions de catholiques. En fait, si l'on y ajoute le nombre des croyants appartenant à l'Eglise clandestine, 11, voire 14 millions de Chinois seraient catholiques. Même chose pour les protestants. Officiellement, ils sont 16 millions. En réalité, les différentes sectes pentecôtistes, évangélistes, anglicanes ou luthériennes ont le vent en poupe et pourraient totaliser une quarantaine de millions de fidèles. Ici comme ailleurs dans d'autres régions du monde, le protestantisme séduit de plus en plus, notamment parce qu'il fait miroiter à l'individu les avantages d'une religion plus personnelle, déconnectée des commandements temporels d'une "superstructure" autoritaire comme le Vatican.

Le nombre de musulmans, que cela soit les Huis, descendants de commerçants arabo-persans, ou les Ouïgours, turcophones de la province occidentale du Xinjiang, est estimé à une vingtaine de millions de personnes. Les Ouïgours, souvent hostiles à la colonisation des Chinois hans sur leur territoire et dont une minorité est tiraillée par des velléités d'indépendance, suscitent la méfiance de Pékin, qui réprime sans pitié religieux et militants séparatistes dans ces lointaines marches de l'empire. Les Huis, dispersés dans tout le pays, ne sont en revanche pas perçus comme une menace politique, même si un nombre croissant de jeunes musulmans partis faire des études coraniques en Arabie saoudite ou dans d'autres pays arabes reviennent en Chine ragaillardis par les préceptes d'un islam plus rigoureux, voire plus intégriste sur le plan des valeurs morales.

La liste serait incomplète si elle ne mentionnait pas des religions plus... chinoises qui, elles aussi, redeviennent de plus en plus populaires. Les bouddhistes sont les plus nombreux en Chine, leurs fidèles étant estimés à 8 % de la population, soit plus de 100 millions de personnes, par un rapport du service des libertés religieuses du département d'Etat américain. Officiellement, les statistiques sont inexistantes. Mais un nombre croissant de Chinois hans se rendent au Tibet, pas seulement pour des motifs commerciaux liés aux opportunités offertes par le Grand Ouest chinois, mais aussi pour des raisons liées à la fascination exercée par le bouddhisme lamaïque...

Quant au taoïsme, qui est autant une religion qu'une philosophie, il ferait continuellement de nouveaux adeptes sans que les fidèles des préceptes de Lao Tseu puissent être répertoriés.

Article paru dans l'édition du 24.05.07.

Top Law Firm for Human Rights Suspended After Filing Parole Papers for Jailed Beijing Church Leader

To: National & International Desks

Contact: Bob Fu, China Aid Association, 267-205-5210, 432-689-6985, bobfu@ChinaAid.org

MIDLAND, Texas, Nov. 4 /Christian Wire Service/ --China Aid Association learned that November 4, 2005, a top law firm in Beijing known for defending human rights was ordered closed for one year by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice.

According to reliable reports, Mr. Gao Zhisheng, the director of Beijing Shengzhi Law Firm, received a formal government notice that all of his law firm operations are suspended for one year. Hours before receiving the closure notice, Mr. Gao filed parole documents with the Beijing People's Court of Haidian District for Ms. Xiao Yunfei, the wife of jailed house church leader Pastor Cai Zhuohua. He is one of the defense lawyers for Pastor Cai, his wife Ms. Xiao Yunfei and two other family members who were arrested last September. The Chinese government accused them of "illegal business practices" for printing and distributing hundreds of thousands of copies of the Bible and other Christian literature. They are being held following their trial and awaiting a verdict.

In an interview with Bob Fu, president of CAA the morning of November 4 following the parole paper filing he stated that the arrests of Pastor Cai and other family members and the more than one year continuous detention following a trial without a verdict is illegal according to Chinese law.

It's widely believed that the retributive actions taken against Mr. Gao and his law firm by the Chinese government is due to his active role in defending human rights and religious freedom cases like Pastor Cai's case. He also defended several other high profile cases including persecuted Falun Gong practitioners. After days of intensive investigations and interviews with numerous victims, he issued an open letter to both Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao a few weeks ago demanding that they stop persecuting peaceful Falun Gong practitioners.

"It is a very dark day and a devastating blow to the rule of law in China," said Bob Fu, President of CA. "Instead of holding the human rights and religious freedom violators accountable, the Chinese government chooses to suppress these conscientious defenders of human rights."

People of conscience around the world are urged to pray for and protest against the barbaric actions by these related government agencies.

Emails and phone calls of encouragement can be sent at the following address:

Mr. Gao Zhisheng +86-10-81990759 Email: gaozhisheng@263.net

Issued by China Aid Association, Inc. November 4, 2005

Two Chinese priests detained

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1103AP_Vatican_China_Priests_Detained.html

Sunday, October 30, 2005 · Last updated 5:52 p.m. PT, Associated Press

ROME -- Two priests from China's underground Catholic Church have been detained, a Vatican-affiliated missionary news agency reported. The two had reportedly just given a rare interview to a foreign journalist.

The AsiaNews missionary agency said Friday that the Revs. Shao Zhumin and Paul Jiang Sunian, from the underground church in Wenzhou on China's southeast coast, were detained Thursday after celebrating Mass.

The report said the detentions were unusual because the situation of underground priests in Wenzhou had been "calm" for some time.

On Friday, however, the Italian newsweekly Espresso published a two-page article in which it said it had interviewed the two priests, as well as a third, and that they had "risked arrest" by speaking to a foreign journalist.

The article said that two days after the interview was conducted, Chinese police followed the reporter and took her interpreter to the police station.

In the interview, the priests spoke of previous detentions, with Shao saying he had been asked after his Sept. 7, 1999, detention to make a declaration "to evaluate whether I had become patriotic."

China allows worship in government-controlled churches and appoints its own priests and bishops. Chinese Catholics who meet outside the sanctioned churches are frequently harassed by authorities.

Pope Benedict XVI has been reaching out to the Beijing government in hopes of restoring diplomatic relations and bringing all of China's estimated 12 million Catholics under Rome's wing.
 

China releases Protestant church activist
By CHRISTOPHER BODEENASSOCIATED PRESS WRITERSEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 · Lastupdated 6:08 a.m. PT

SHANGHAI, China -- A prominent activist in China's underground Protestant church has been released from a labor camp after serving a two-year sentence, a U.S.-based monitoring group reported Wednesday.

Zhang Yinan, 47, left a camp near the central China city of Zhengzhou on Sunday, according to the China Aid Association, headquartered in Midland, Texas.

China's officially atheistic Communist authorities allow worship only in tightly controlled state churches, and those who meet outside - often in members' homes - are routinely harassed and fined, and sometimes sent to labor camps.

While underground church organizers can receive sentences of several years in prison, China Aid Association President Bob Fu said international attention given to Zhang's case had persuaded China to give him a relatively light punishment.

"We urge the Chinese government to release all the prisoners of conscience like Mr. Zhang," Fu said in an e-mailed statement.

After Zhang's release, police confiscated his identification card - needed to check into hotels and board planes - apparently to restrict his travel, the group said.

Officers who answered phones at Zhengzhou's two labor camps for men said they were not authorized to release any information about prisoners.

Zhang was sentenced in 2003 without trial as permitted by Chinese regulations on the charge of attempting to subvert China's government and political system.

Zhang had been active in documenting the history of the underground church movement and advocating unity among its various sects, which often compete for converts and bicker over religious dogma.

Up to 50 million Chinese are believed to worship in unofficial Protestant congregations, far more than the 10 million followers claimed by the official Protestant church, which is called the "Three-Self Patriotic Movement."

Xinjiang: Apparent Tolerance of religious belief, but with tight state controls

April 4th 2005 - China (PRC)

Religious believers in Ghulja (Yining in Chinese), a Xinjiang provincial town with Muslim, Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox communities, do not on first glance currently appear to experience difficulties from the Chinese state. Authorised Christian and Muslim places of worship are frequently built at state expense, Forum 18 News Service has found. But the state tries to keep all religious organisations under complete control, and also, so Forum 18 has been told, limits the size of Catholic and Muslim places of worship, as well as restricting the number of mosques. "I have land and the money to build a mosque, but the authorities think it inexpedient to open a religious building in the new housing districts," Abdu Raheman, Muslim owner of Ghulja's largest honey-producing company, complained to Forum 18. Unregistered Chinese and Uighur Protestant communities do exist, but they mainly have to operate in secret. Although Jehovah's Witnesses have been in Ghulja, as far as Forum 18 has been able to establish they have not set up a religious community.

Law and Religion News, http://www.forum18.org/Archive.php?article_id=537

SEOUL - U.S. President George W.Bush said on Wednesday he would raise religious freedom in China on the last leg of his three-nation tour of Asia.

[LatelineNews: 2002-2-19]

The issue has been a major sticking point in U.S. ties with Beijing's atheist leadership.

Speaking after talks with South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, Bush told a news conference he would continue a discussion he had with Chinese President Jiang Zemin on religion in Shanghai last year and urge Beijing to hold talks with the Vatican.

"In my last visit with President Jiang, I shared with him my faith. I talked to him in very personal terms about my Christian beliefs."

He said he told Jiang last October: "I would hope that he, as a president of a great nation, would understand the important role of religion in an individual's life."

"I will do so again. I will bring up ... that I would hope the government would honour the request of the Papal Nuncio to at least have dialogue about the bishops

that are interned there."

China and the Holy See have no diplomatic relations and China does not recognise the Pope. China's crackdown on religious groups not under state control has ensnared many clergy among millions of Chinese Catholics who profess loyalty to the Pope.

Asked by a reporter whether he would meet Chinese political dissidents, Bush said he was uncertain about his itinerary. Reuters

Bible smuggler back in Hong Kong

Sunday, 10 February, 2002, 15:56 GMT

A Hong Kong businessman who was sentenced to two years in prison for smuggling thousands of bibles into China has been allowed to return to Hong Kong.

Li Guangqiang, was released from prison on Saturday.

The official Chinese news agency Xinhua said that the decision to release him was made on health grounds ?

Mr Li is suffering from hepatitis B - and that he would remain under the surveillance of the authorities.

Mr Li was arrested last May and accused of spreading an evil cult, a charge which can carry the death penalty in

China.

But last month, the charges were downgraded to carrying out illegal business activities.

US President Bush, who is to visit China later this month, had expressed concern about Mr Li's case.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service

China accused of crackdown on Christians

By Joe McDonald

Feb. 11, 2002 | BEIJING (AP) --

Chinese authorities have killed 129 people and arrested nearly 24,000 in a crackdown on Christian churches that operate outside government control, a group of Chinese religious activists said Monday.

In a report released in New York, the Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China published what it said were official documents outlining a campaign that includes torture to stamp out independent worship.

The report accused senior Chinese leaders of approving the violence.

The accusations come at a sensitive time for China, a week before President Bush makes his first official visit to Beijing. A Hong Kong businessman imprisoned for smuggling Bibles to a banned Church was released this weekend after Bush expressed concern about him.

China's communist government allows only state-monitored

worship. It is struggling to rein in new religious movements that have attracted millions of followers in recent years.

The most prominent target has been the Falun Gong spirituel movement, banned in 1999 as a threat to public safety and communist rule. But other targeted groups span the spectrum from Roman Catholics to Buddhists to newer organizations with unorthodox views.

"The level of persecution aimed against unregistered Christians in China is high," said the report. "The persecution against underground Christians has escalated and originates at the highest central levels of the Chinese government."

The committee is run by Chinese Christians living abroad. Robin Munro, a British human rights researcher who has no connection to the committee, said he reviewed the documents that it gathered and believed they were genuine. He said it was the biggest quantity of internal Chinese government documents that he had seen assembled by one group.

"It paints a pretty frightening picture of the Chinese security authorities' attempt to suppress a wide range of spiritual groups," Munro said by telephone from London.

Calls seeking comment from China's Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Public Security and the official Roman Catholic and Protestant organizations weren't answered Monday. Most government offices were closed on the eve of the Chinese New Year.

Estimates by foreign religious scholars of the number of

underground, or house, church members run as high as 60 million.The official Christian churches have about 15 million followers.

The 141-page report released Monday cites documents that it said were supplied by activists in China and officials who oppose the crackdown.

They include a report that says the United States and Taiwan are using Falun Gong and other religious groups to undermine China's stability.

In addition, researchers investigated house churches in 20 provinces and found that 129 people had been killed, 23,686 arrested and 4,014 sentenced to re-education, according to the report. It didn't say how most of the deaths were alleged to have taken place or how the research was carried out.

The report accused Chinese authorities of using criminal charges against religious leaders to avoid criticism about damaging freedom of worship.

It noted the case of Gong Shengliang, founder of the banned South China Church. Gong was sentenced to death in December on charges of rape and using a cult to undermine the law, according to members of his church and human rights monitors.

According to the report, 63 other South China Church leaders have been detained and some sentenced to up to seven years in prison. It said one was missing and may have been killed.

The report cited statements by followers of other groups who said they suffered rape, beatings, electric shocks and other abuse.

The group claimed to have obtained documents showing that the harsh tactics were approved by senior leaders including Vice President Hu Jintao, who is expected to succeed President Jiang Zemin as China's next leader.

China Detains 47 Christians As Bush Urges Freedom of Worship

BEIJING, Feb 22, 2002 -- (dpa) China detained 47 Christians at a church meeting in suburban Beijing on Thursday, a Hong Kong rigottes group said on Friday, as U.S. President George W. Bush ended his visit to China with a call for freedom of worship in China.

Some 70 police raided the meeting of Christians from from five areas of northern China, the Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy said.

Police charged the group with holding an illegal gathering, but released 55 of them with a caution on Friday, the center said.

Changping district police body-searched the Christians, confiscatoire their Bibles, and did not allow them to drink or go to the toilet, it said.

One 70-year-old man needed emergency treatment after suffering a recurrence of heart problems while in detention.

Bush urged China to allow freer worship and promote democratic reform, as he addressed students at one of the country's top universities on Friday.

"My prayer is that all persecution will end, so that all in China are free to gather and worship as they wish," he said.

"Regardless of where or how these believers worship, they are no threat to public order; in fact they make good citizens."

On Thursday, at a joint press conference after talks with Bush, Chinese President Jiang Zemin defended China's religious freedom and said that anyone imprisoned must have broken the law.

"Whatever religion people believe in, they have to uphold the law," he said.

Bush urged Jiang to hold dialogue with the Dalai Lama and the Vatican.

China only allows state-supervised religious groups.

Earlier this month Amnesty International highlighted the case of five leaders of the banned South China Church, who face execution after they were sentenced to death for crimes including subversion, rape and causing serious injury. All five denied the charges.

Scholars Discuss Evils of Canonized Missionaries in Beijing

BEIJING, Oct 5, 2000 -- (BBC Monitoring) Xinhua (New China News Agency)

Over 20 Chinese experts on history and religions held a

symposium here today, exposing the crimes committed by

recently canonized foreign missionaries and their followers.

Scholars listed a number of facts to illustrate that in

modern history Catholic missionaries' activities were closely

linked with foreign forces' invasion of China.

Prof Dai Yi said, "lots of foreign missionaries followed the

warships of foreign aggressors to China in and after the

Opium War [1840-1842], and actually foreign aggression and

missionaries' activities are combined into one. That is,

missionaries' activities were an integral part of invasion,

missionaries acted as guides and tools for foreign aggressors

and in return, aggressors paved the way for the missionaries'

activities."

Some participants elaborated on the historic background and

inner causes of "religious cases" in history, stressing that

it is the foreign missionaries that should answer for the

consequences because their monstrous evils exasperated the

Chinese people and eventually fused the outburst of the

Yihetuan (known as Boxers) Movement [referring to the Boxer

Rebellion (1899-1901), an anti-foreign uprising, when the

Boxers killed Western missionaries, their families and

Chinese converts].

Participants pointed out that foreign missionaries executed

in certain "religious cases", such as Auguste Chapdelaine,

Franciscus de Capillas and Albericus Crescitelli, had only

themselves to blame for still being hated by people today,

because they had stopped no evil.

The Holy See, disregarding the strong opposition from the

Chinese people, "canonized" these infamous missionaries,

which reveals the Vatican's vicious intention to intervene in

China's internal affairs through religious activities, the

scholars said, pointing out that the canonization tramples on

the sovereignty of the Chinese Catholic Church, as well as a

severe provocation to the 1.2 billion Chinese people.

The scholars all voiced their protest over the perverse and

vicious deeds of the Vatican, saying that the present China

is strong enough to protect its national security and

national dignity and any attempt to distort history and

humiliate the Chinese people is doomed to failure.

According to the sponsors of the symposium, the participants

are professors and researchers from the People's University

of China, the Beijing University, the Beijing Normal

University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and other

academic institutes, who specialize in history or religion.

China Asks Hong Kong Church to Keep Low Profile over

Canonizations

HONG KONG, Oct 4, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) China has

told the Hong Kong Catholic Church to avoid huge celebrations

to mark the Vatican's canonization of 120 Chinese missionary

martyrs, a report said Wednesday.

But the request from the Beijing officials here to keep a low

profile over the canonizations has left the leaders of the

territory's Catholic Church baffled, Bishop Joseph Zen Zekiun

said quoted by the independent Chinese-language Ming Pao.

"How do you measure 'high' and 'low" profile? I think we have

no political motive in celebrating what is an important

religious affair," said Zen, deputy to Cardinal John Baptist

Wu Cheng-chung.

The request was made by the official from Beijing's liaison

office in the territory at a meeting on September 18 with the

Hong Kong diocese which was not attended by Bishop Zen.

"We don't have to listen to him ... There is no problem of

religious freedom in Hong Kong," he said, adding that "from

Hong Kong's point of view, he was seemingly trying to

interfere, which may be serious."

Bishop Zen said the mainland authorities did not like the

Hong Kong diocese to have contact with their mainland

counterparts and the slightest communication would attract a

warning from the liaison office.

The church in mainland China however is strictly controlled,

and Beijing broke off ties with the Holy See in 1958. The

official Catholic Church in China does not recognize the pope

and has about four million followers.

China Meddles with Hong Kong Catholic Church, Cleric Says

HONG KONG, Oct 4, 2000 -- (Reuters) A leader of Hong Kong's

Catholic Church has accused Beijing of meddling with

religious freedoms in the territory, one of the most serious

accusations against China since it took back the former

British colony in 1997.

Bishop Joseph Zen, in an article he contributed to Hong

Kong's Ming Pao daily newspaper, said Beijing had tried to

interfere with local church celebrations of the Vatican's

recent canonization of 120 Roman Catholic martyrs.

"The Liaison Office urged the Hong Kong diocese to handle the

canonization in a low-key manner," wrote Zen, who is deputy

to local Catholic leader Cardinal John Baptist Wu.

The celebrations went ahead in Hong Kong churches over the

weekend.

Religious freedom is widely seen as a key indicator of

Beijing's promise to leave Hong Kong's internal affairs

untouched for 50 years following the 1997 handover from

Britain.

The Chinese government has been vitriolic in its condemnation

of the Vatican for canonizing 87 Chinese and 33 missionaries

on Sunday, saying the act glorified a century of Western

imperialism in China.

Beijing has also taken offence at the timing of the

canonizations, which coincided with the 51st anniversary of

the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Zen hit out at what he termed Beijing's "violent suppression"

of both the overt and underground churches on mainland China

recently.

"What hurts the feelings of countless Chinese citizens and

peace-loving people all over the world is the violent

suppression by central authorities of churches in the

country," he wrote.

"It leads one to recall some of the campaigns in the early

years of the People's Republic of China, even the Cultural

Revolution," Zen said, referring to Mao Zedong's campaign of

political persecution from 1966 to 1976.

Zen said the Liaison Office had tried to dissuade him from

communicating with his counterparts across the border in

China after he spoke briefly with a Catholic leader on the mainland.

Pope Apologizes To China Over Missionary Errors

VATICAN CITY, Oct 3, 2000 -- (Reuters) Pope John Paul has

extended an olive branch to China, which is angry at the

canonization of martyrs it calls "evil-doing sinners", by

apologizing for any errors committed by Western missionaries

in colonial times.

At an audience on Monday for pilgrims who came to Rome for

Sunday's 120 canonizations, the Pope said the Church was not

passing a positive judgment on colonial times nor on the

behavior of some governments towards China in the past.

He said criticism of missionary activity in colonial times

was often the result of "a partial and non-objective reading

of history which sees only limitations and errors..."

He added: "If there were any (errors) - and is man ever free

of defects? - we ask forgiveness."

The Pope offered his apology as an irate Beijing kept up

attacks. The Chinese government exploded in anger at the

weekend when the Pope made saints of 87 Chinese Roman

Catholics and 33 missionaries who were killed in China

between 1648 and 1930.

The canonizations were even harder for Beijing to swallow

because the ceremony took place on the 51st anniversary of

the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The Vatican said the ceremony was held on October 1 because

it was the feast of St Teresa of Lisieux, patroness of

missions.

In his homily on Sunday the Pope said the canonizations were

an attempt to honor all Chinese people.

On Sunday night Beijing fired the latest salvo in its war of

words by providing what it said were details about two of the

new saints.

A spokesman for China's State Administration of Religious

Affairs cited examples of "monstrous crimes" committed by two

of the new saints against the Chinese people, including one

who he said slept with all the brides of his followers.

Alberto Crescitelli, an Italian missionary killed in 1900,

"was notorious for taking the 'right to the first night' of

each bride under his diocese", Xinhua news agency quoted the

spokesman as saying.

A second missionary, Auguste Chapdelaine of France, who was

executed in 1856, instigated the second Opium War and the

burning of the imperial Summer Palace in 1860 after he was

punished for felonies, the spokesman said.

"Did they represent God's 'true love' to the Chinese people

like the Vatican said?" asked the spokesman.

The Vatican says the martyrs were killed because they were

loyal to their Christian faith.

China says most were traitors executed for breaking laws when

colonial forces invaded China during the 1839-42 Opium War,

and during the 1898-1900 Boxer Uprising.
 
 

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Decree No 426, State Council, November 30, 2004, announcing the Regulations on Religious Affairs

Chinese original

English translation

Règlement afférant à la gestion des lieux pour les activités religieuses des étrangers - Décret du State Council de la République Populaire de Chine N° 144, 31 janvier 1994

Chinese original

English translation

Français

Constitution de la Chinese Bishops' Conference

Constitution de la Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association

(1980 telle qu'amendée en 1986 et 1992)

Règlement afférant au contrôle des activités religieuses - Décret du State Council de la République Populaire de Chine N° 145, 31 janvier 1994

chinois

English

Français
 
 

Document No. 19, The Basic Viewpoint and Policy on the Religious Question during Our Country's Socialist Period, Central Committee Of the Communist Party of China, 31 March 1982

Chinese

English

Investigative Report on Realizing the Party's Religious Policy and Related Questions, Chinese Communist Party Investigation Department, 29 December, 1985

Chinese version

Document No. 6, Circular Issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the State Council on Some Problems Concerning Further Improving Work on Religion, February 5, 1991

Chinese

English
 
 

Method for the Annual Inspection of Places of Religious Activity, State Council, Religious Affairs Bureau, 30 July 1996

Chinese version

English

Notice on Ideas and Issues on Dealing with Relocating Chapels, Temples, and Houses Amid Urban Construction, January 20, 1993

Chinese version
 
 

Voir aussi

Registration Procedures for Venues for Religious Activities, formulated in accordance with Article 2 of the "Regulation Governing Venues for Religious Activities, 1 May, 1994

Chinese

English

Est édicté ci-dessous le règlement afférant à la gestion des lieux pour les activités religieuses. Il entre en vigueur à sa signature.

Signé Le Premier Ministre Li Peng, 31 janvier 1994.

1. - Afin de protéger les activités religieuses normales et pour sauvegarder les droits légaux des lieux d'activités religieuses, il est opportun en conformité avec la Constitution, de rédiger ces règlements afférant à la gestion des lieux d'activités religieuses.

2. - Les lieux auxquels référence est faite au sein de ces règlements sont les temples, mosquées, églises et autres lieux permanents où les activités religieuses sont tenues.

Pour établir un lieu d'activités religieuses, il faut accomplir un processus d'enregistrement. Les modalités d'enregistrement sont définies par les organes des affaires religieuses du State Council.

3. - La gestion des lieux d'activités religieuses relève de la compétence du comité de gestion de ce lieu. Les droits légaux et les activités religieuses normales sur ce site sont protégés par la loi. Aucune autre organisation ni aucun individu ne peut y porter atteinte à ou y interférer.

4. Les lieux d'activités religieuses doivent établir un système de gestion. Lors des activités religieuses, le lieu d'activités religieuses doit se conformer à la loi et respecter les règlements pertinents.

Personne ne doit utiliser les lieux d'activités religieuses pour entreprendre des activités qui détruisent l'unité de la nation, l'unité parmi les minorités ethniques, la stabilité sociale, ou qui causent tout préjudice physique aux citoyens ou qui créent toute obstruction au système d'éducation national.

5. - Les lieux d'activités religieuses ne seront pas soumis à la domination d'organisations ou d'individus étrangers. Les résidents temporaires et permanents des lieux d'activités religieuses doivent respecter les règlements nationaux afférant à l'enregistrement des logements.

6. - Les lieux d'activités religieuses ont la faculté d'accepter les dons, les offrandes et les subsides des fidèles.

7. - Sur les lieux d'activités religieuses, le comité de direction en conformité avec les règlements nationaux a la faculté de vendre des articles religieux, des Ïuvres d'art religieux et des livres religieux.

8. - Les biens et les revenus des lieux d'activités religieuses seront gérés et exploités par le comité de direction du lieu. Aucune autre entité ni aucun individu ne peut en prendre possession ou le céder sans contrepartie.

9. - La fermeture ou la fusion de lieux d'activités religieuses seront notifiés aux bureaux auprès desquels les lieux ont été enregistrés originellement et la disposition de leurs biens seront opérées en conformité avec les règlements nationaux pertinents.

10. - Le comité de direction ou organisation religieuse subordonnée en conformité avec les règlements nationaux concernés, solliciteront la délivrance d'un certificat pour gérer et utiliser les terres, les forêts, les collines et les maisons du lieu d'activités religieuses.

Les réquisitions par l'Etat de terres, forêts, collines ou maisons gérés et exploités par le lieu d'activités religieuses seront traités en conformité avec la Land Administration Act de la République Populaire de Chine et les fautes décrets nationaux pertinents.

11. - Les unités et les individus concernés qui entendent reconstruire une maison ou construire un nouvel édifice, établir un commerce ou centre d'activités sociales, organiser une exposition ou une exhibition, réaliser un film cinématographique ou vidéo dans la zone sous la gestion du lieu d'activités religieuses, doit d'abord obtenir l'accord du comité de direction du lieu d'activités religieuses et du Religious Affairs Bureau au niveau du comté ou au niveau supérieur avant de se présenter au département concerné pour achever les procédures.

12. - Les reliques et les environs des lieux d'activités religieuses qui figurent sur les liste des reliques historiques ou qui sont situées dans des zones de paysage de grande beauté doivent être gérés et protégés en conformité avec les lois et les règlements. Ils sont également soumis à l'initiative et au contrôle des départements concernés.

13. - Les Religious Affairs Bureau au niveau du coté ou au niveau supérieur doivent prendre des initiatives et contrôler la mise en Ïuvre de ces règlements.

14. - Au cas où un lieu d'activités religieuses enfreindrait ces règlements, le Religious Affairs Bureau au niveau du comté ou au niveau supérieur, en proportion à la gravité de l'affaire, a la faculté de dispenser la sanction comme un avertissement, la cessation de l'activité ou l'annulation de l'enregistrement.Si le cas est particulièrement sérieux, il sera soumis au niveau comparable du gouvernement pour obtenir que l'activité soit bannie en conformité avec la loi.

15. - Au cas où la violation de ces règlements constituerait une infraction aux règles afférant à l'ordre public, les départements de Sécurité Publique imposeront des sanctions en conformité avec les règlements afférant à la sanction des infractions contre l'ordre public de la République Populaire de Chine. Au cas où la violation constituerait un crime, les organes judiciaires en rechercheront le responsable.

16. - Au cas où toute personne ne serait pas satisfaite d'une décision administrative, elle peut solliciter en application des lois et règlements concernés une nouvelle étude de la décision ou elle peut initier des procédures judiciaires.

17. - Toute personne enfreignant les règlements ou les droits légaux de tout lieu d'activités religieuses, le Religious Affairs Bureau au niveau du comté ou au niveau supérieur sollicitera un arrêté du Gouvernement local au même niveau exigeant la cessation des activités enfreignantes. Au cas où un préjudice économique aurait été causé, la réparation de la perte serait effectuée en conformité avec la loi.

18. - Sur le fondement de ces règlements, les gouvernements des provinces, des régions autonomes et des municipalités sous administration directe par le Gouvernement Central ont la faculté de formuler des mesures pour la mise en oeuvre de ces règlements au vu des conditions locales réelles.

19. - La responsabilité pour l'interprétation de ces règlements est attribuée au Religious Affairs Bureau du State Council.

20. - Ces règlements entreront en vigueur à la date de leur promulgation.

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Article premier

L'organisation sera désignée la Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association

Article 2

Cette organisation est une organisation de masse formée par le clergé chinois et les laïcs chinois pour promouvoir l'amour de la patrie et de l'église. Ses objets sont : sous la direction du Parti Communiste Chinois et du Gouvernement du Peuple d'unifier le clergé et les Catholiques, de manifester un esprit patriotique, d'observer les lois et les politiques du gouvernement, de participer activement au programme de modernisation de la mère patrie socialiste, de promouvoir les relations cordiales avec les catholiques sur le plan international d'opposer l'impérialisme et l'hégémonisme, de sauvegarder la paix mondiale et de coopérer avec le gouvernement pour la mise en Ïuvre de la politique de liberté religieuse.

Article 3

La structure dotée de la plus haute autorité au sein de l'organisation est la Representative Assembly. Elle est dotée du pouvoir de rédiger et d'amender la constitution de l'organisation, de contrôler les travaux du comité, et d'élire les membres du comité.

Article 4

À la clôture de la Representative Assembly de la Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, le comité de l'Association sera chargé de l'exécution des délibérations adoptées par la Representative Assembly et de la promotion des activités de l'Association.

Article 5

L'Association établira un comité permanent élu par les membres du bureau. À la clôture de l'assemblée des membres, le comité permanent prendre en charge la mise en Ïuvre des décision de l'assemblée et la gestion des activités de l'Association.

Article 6

L'Association désignera un Président et des vice-présidents pour assumer des fonctions de direction. Elle se dotera aussi d'un secrétaire et de secrétaires assistants pour aider le président et les vice-présidents pour l'exercice de leurs fonctions quotidiennes. Le président, les vice-présidents et les secrétaires seront élus par les membres du bureau.

Article 7

En cas de besoin, le bureau de l'association peut établir touts structures nécessaires.

Article 8

La Representative Assembly de la Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association se réunira en assemblée tous les quatre ans. En cas de besoin, cette assemblée peut être avancée ou reportée.

Article 9

Les réunions du bureau de l'Association se tiendront tous les deux ans, et le comité permanent se réunira annuellement. Les réunions seront convoquées par le président et les vice-présidents. Encas de besoin, les réunions pourront être avancées ou reportées.

Article 10

Le comité Permanent sera responsable pour la collecte de fonds pour couvrir les dépenses de l'Association.

Article 11

L'adresse de l'Association sera à Beijing.

Article 12

S'il devenait nécessaire de mettre un terme aux activités de l'Association la décision serait prise par la Representative Assembly de la Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

Article 13

Cette constitution entrera en vigueur lors de son adoption la Representative Assembly de la Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

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Article 1

La désignation officielle est Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China.

Article 2

La Conference est la structure de l'organisation dotée de la plus haute autorité pour les affaires de la Chinese Catholic Church. En conformité avec la Bible et fondée sur l'esprit traditionnel de l'Eglise unique, sainte, catholique et apostolique, ses objets sont:

- l'étude et l'explication des doctrines de la foi et des règles à observer au sein de l'Eglise,

- l'examen et l'approbation des élections et des ordinations d'évêques diocésains;

- établir les grandes lignes des activités pastorales;

- l'organisation et l'unification de tout le clergé et des laïques dans le respect de la Constitution; des lois et règlements et des politiques du pays;

- la mise en Ïuvre des principes d'indépendance, d'autonomie et en conformité avec la situation en Chine;

- la représentation de la Chinese Catholic Church à l'extérieur de la Chine.

Article 3

La Conference comprendra les ordinaires de diocèse, ainsi que les évêques auxiliaires et les évêques conseillers ; La Conference se dotera d'un président, d'un vice-président, d'un secrétaire général, d'un comité permanent comprenant un certain nombre d'évêques et deux évêques conseillers.

Article 4

La Conference rendra compte au Chinese Catholic Representatives Congress. Ce Congrès sera convoqué tous les 5 ans mais, en cas de besoin, ces dates peuvent être avancées ou reportées. Les fonctions et les pouvoirs du Representatives Congress sont :

La formulation et la révision de la Constitution de la Chinese Bishops' Conference :

- l'évaluation des rapports sur les travaux de la Conference;

- la discussion et l'adoption des décisions et délibérations importantes,

- l'élection du président, du vice-président, du secrétaire général et du comité permanent de la Bishops' Conference.

Les Representative Assemblies, les quorum et les modalités de désignation des délégués seront décidées d'un commun accord entre les comités permanents de la Bishops' Conference et de la Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

Article 5

La Chinese Bishops' Conference sera dotée d'un comité permanent, d'un vice-président, d'un secrétaire général et des membres du comité permanent.Il sera chargé de la mise en Ïuvre des décision de la Catholic Representatives Congress, pour le développement et la promotion des activités de lEglise et pour la gestion des affaires y afférant.

Le président, le vice-président , le secrétaire général, les membres du comité permanent et les conseillers exerceront leurs fonctions jusqu'à la prochain Catholic Representatives Congress. Les élus sont rééligibles.

Article 6

Le président sera chargé des travaux du comité permanent. Le vice-président, le secrétaire général assisteront le président pour la gestion des affaires courantes.

Les assemblées générales de la Bishops' Conference seront tenues tous les deux ans. Le comité permanent de la Bishops' Conference se tiendra tous les ans. En cas de besoin, les dates des réunions pourront être avancées ou reportées.

Article 7

Au cas où le président et plus de la moitié des membres du comité permanent considéreraient qu'il serait opportun de convenir de convoquer un comité permanent élargi ou une Bishops' Conference élargie, ils pourront convoquer des administrateurs diocésains (clergé), des supérieurs de séminaires ou de couvents, des responsables d'affaires de l'Eglise au niveau provincial, des prêtres, sÏurs et représentants catholiques à participer. Mais ces personnes ne pourront que conseiller et n'auront pas de droit de vote.

Article 8

S'agissant des questions d'une importance majeure, le président, le vice-président et le secrétaire général doivent se concerter avec le président, le vice-président et le secrétaire général de la Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

Article 9

Le Church Affairs Committe de chaque province, région autonome, municipalité sous administration directe du Gouvernement Central et de chaque diocèse ont le devoir d'obéissance et d'exécution des résolutions et des décisions de cette Conférence.

Article 10

Lorsque le comité permanent observe certains besoins, il peut établir des comités spéciaux ou des groupes de travail pour les traiter. Les personnes responsables seront désignées para le président, le vice-président et le secrétaire général et la durée de leurs fonctions coïncidera avec celle des membres du comité permanent de la Conférence.

Article 11

Le comité permanent sera chargé de la gestion financière de la Bishops' Conference.

Article 12

La Bishops' Conference aura son siège à Beijing.

Article 13

S'il devenait nécessaire de mettre un terme à la Bishops' Conference, la décision serait discutée et adoptée par la Chinese Catholic Representatives' Congress.

Article 14

Cette Constitution a été approuvée par la Chinese Catholic Representatives Congress et entre vigueur immédiatement.

Règlement afférant au

contrôle des activités religieuses des étrangers en Chine.

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Rules for the Implementation of the Provisions on the Administration of Religious Activities of Aliens within the Territory of the People's Republic of China formulated in accordance with the Provisions on the Administration of Religious Activities of Aliens within the Territory of the People's Republic of China, September 27, 2000

Chinese version

English Version

Est édicté ci-dessous le règlement afférant au contrôle des activités religieuses des étrangers en Chine. Il entre en vigueur à sa signature.

Signé Le Premier Ministre Li Peng, 31 janvier 1994.

1. - Afin de sauvegarder la liberté de religion des étrangers à l'intérieur des frontières de la République Populaire de Chine et l'intérêt public de la société, ce règlement a été formulé sur le fondement de la Constitution.

2. - La République Populaire de Chine respecte la liberté de religion des étrangers résidant sur le territoire chinois, et elle protège les échanges cordiaux et culturels entretenus entre les étrangers et les personnalités religieuses chinoises.

3. - Les étrangers ont la faculté de participer à des activités religieuses tenues dans les temples chinois, les mosquées et les églises. Sur invitation des organisations religieuses au niveau provincial ou supérieur, des régions autonomes et des municipalités sous administration directe par le Gouvernement central, les étrangers ont la faculté de faire des enseignements et de prêcher sur les lieux réservés en chine aux activités religieuses.

4. - Les étrangers ont la faculté d'entreprendre des activités religieuses pour d'autres étrangers dans les lieux approuvés pour les activités religieuses par le Religious Affairs Bureau au niveau du comté ou au niveau supérieur.

5. - À l'intérieur des frontières chinoises, les étrangers ont la faculté d'inviter des membres du clergé chinois pour les baptêmes, les mariages, et les funérailles ainsi que pratiquer les rites taoïstes ou bouddhistes.

6. - Lors de leur entrée en chine, les étrangers ont la faculté d'apporter avec eux des documents religieux imprimés, des bandes sonores ou vidéo et d'autres équipements religieux pour leur propre utilisation. Lorsqu'un apporte avec lui des documents religieux imprimés, des bandes sonores ou vidéo et d'autres équipements religieux au-delà sa propre utilisation, le cas sera traité en application du règlement applicable du service des Douanes chinoises compétent.

Il est interdit d'introduire sur le territoire des documents religieux imprimés ou des bandes sonores ou vidéo et autres équipements religieux qui portent atteinte aux intérêts sociaux et publics de la Chine.

7. - Les cas d'étrangers sollicitant des personnes en Chine pour aller à l'étranger pour formation en tant que religieux professionnels, ou les cas d'étrangers viennent en chine en tant qu'étudiants ou enseignants dans des académies religieuses sont soumis aux règlements pertinents.

8. - Les étrangers entreprenant des activités religieuses en Chine doivent respecter les lois et règlements chinois.Sur le territoire chinois, ils ne doivent pas établir des organisations religieuses, des bureaux d'organisations religieuses, ouvrir des lieux de pratique d'activités religieuses ni ouvrir des académies religieuses. Ils ne doivent pas rechercher des adhérents parmi le peuple chinois et ne doivent pas désigner des religieux professionnels ou entreprendre toutes activités missionnaires.

9. - Le Religious Affairs Bureau et les autres départements du gouvernement concernés au niveau du comté ou au niveau supérieur restreindront et dissuaderont les étrangers enfreignant ces règlements en relation avec les activités religieuses.Si le comportement constitue une violation des règlements sur l'immigration ou des règles régissant l'ordre public, la sanction sera appliquée par les organes de la Sécurité Publique en conformité avec la loi. Lorsqu'un crime est commis, les départements judiciaires devront rechercher le responsable en conformité avec la loi.

10. - Ces règlements sont applicables aux activités religieuses des organisations étrangères à l'intérieur des frontières de la République Populaire de Chine.

11. - Les activités religieuses des ressortissants chinois résidant à l'étranger pendant qu'ils sont en Chine, de ceux de Taiwan alors qu'ils sont sur le continent, de ceux de Hong Kong et de Macao pendant qu'ils sont à l'intérieur sont également soumises à ces règlements.

12. - Le Religious Affairs Bureau du State Council est responsable pour l'explication et l'interprétation de ces règlements.

13. - Ces règlements entrent en vigueur le jour de leur promulgation.

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Premier Wen Jiabao

November 30, 2004

Regulations on Religious Affairs

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1

These regulations are formulated in accordance with the Constitution and relevant laws for the purposes of ensuring citizens' religious belief, maintaining harmony among and between religions, preserving social concord and regulating the administration of religious affairs.

Article 2

Citizens enjoy freedom of religious belief.

No organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in any religion (hereinafter referred to as religious citizens) or citizens who do not believe in any religion (hereinafter referred to as non-religious citizens).

Religious citizens and non-religious citizens shall respect each other and co-exist in harmony, and so shall citizens who believe in different religions.

Article 3

The State, in accordance with the law, protects normal religious activities, and safeguards the lawful rights and interests of religious bodies, sites for religious activities and religious citizens.

Religious bodies, sites for religious activities and religious citizens shall abide by the Constitution, laws, regulations and rules, and safeguard unification of the country, unity of all nationalities and stability of society.

No organization or individual may make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt public order, impair health of citizens or interfere with the educational system of the State, or in other activities that harm State or public interests, or citizens' lawful rights and interests.

Article 4

All religions shall adhere to the principle of independence and self-governance. Religious bodies, sites for religious activities and religious affairs are not subject to any foreign domination.

Religious bodies, sites for religious activities and religious personnel may develop external exchange on the basis of friendship and equality; all other organizations or individuals shall not accept any religious conditions in external cooperation or exchange in economic, cultural or other fields.

Article 5

The religious affairs department of the people's government at or above the county level shall, in accordance with the law, exercise administration of religious affairs that involve State or public interests, and the other departments of the people's government at or above the county level shall, in accordance with the law, be responsible for the administration of relevant affairs within the limits of their respective functions and duties.

People's governments at various levels shall solicit the views of religious bodies, sites for religious activities and religious citizens, and coordinate the administration of religious affairs.

Chapter II Religious Bodies

Article 6

The establishment, alteration, or cancellation of registration, of a religious body shall be registered in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations on Registration Administration of Associations.

The articles of association of a religious body shall comply with the relevant provisions of the Regulations on Registration Administration of Associations.

The activities carried out by a religious body in accordance with its articles of association are protected by law.

Article 7

A religious body may, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the States, compile and publish reference publications to be circulated within religious circles. Religious publications for public distribution shall be published in accordance with the relevant provisions of the State on publication administration.

Publications involving religious contents should comply with the provisions of the Regulations on Publication Administration, and shall not contain the contents:

1) which jeopardize the harmonious co-existence between religious and non-religious citizens;

2) which jeopardize the harmony between different religious or with in a religion;

3) which discriminate against or insult religious or non-religious citizens

4) which propagate religious extremism; or

5) which contravene the principle of independence and self-governance in respect of religions.

Article 8

For the establishment of an institute for religious education, an application shall be made by the national religious body to the religious affairs department of the State Council, or made by the religious body of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government to the religious affairs department of the people's government of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government of the place where such institute is to be located. The religious affairs department of the people's government of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government shall, within 30 days from the date of the receipt of the application, put forward its views, and, if it agrees to the establishment, make a report to the religious affairs department of the State Council for examination and approval.

The religious affairs department of the State Council shall, within 60 days from the date of receipt of the application made by the national religious body or the report made by the religious affairs department of the people's government of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government on the establishment of the institute for religious education, make a decision of approval or disapproval.

Article 9

An institute of religious education to be established shall meet the following conditions:

1) having clear and definite training objectives, a charter for school-running and a curriculum;

2) having the source of students who meet the training requirements;

3) having the necessary funds for school-running and stable financial sources;

4) having the sites, facilities and equipment of teaching that are necessary for its tasks or teaching and school-running scale;

5) having full-time leading member, qualified full-time teaches and an internal management organization; and

6) being rationally distributed

Article 10

In light of the need of the religion concerned, a national religious body may, in accordance with the relevant provisions, select and send people for religious studies abroad, or accept foreigners for religious studies in China.

Article 11

The making of hajj abroad by Chinese citizens who believe in Islam shall be organized by the national religious body of Islam.

Chapter III Sites for Religious Activities

Article 12

Collective religious activities of religious citizens shall, in general, be held at registered sites for religious activities (i.e., Buddhist monasteries, Taoist temples, mosques, churches and other fixed premises for religious activities), organized by the sites for religious activities or religious bodies, and presided over by religious personnel or other persons who are qualified under the prescriptions of the religion concerned, and the process of such activities shall be in compliance with religious doctrines and canons.

Article 13

For the preparation for establishing a site for religious activities, an application shall be made by a religious body to the religious affairs department of the people's government at the county level of the place where such site is to be located. The religious affairs department of the people's government at the county level shall, within 30 days from the date of receipt of the application, make a report to the religious affairs department of the people's government at the level of a city divided into districts for examination and approval if it agrees to the establishment.

Within 30 days from the date of receipt of the report made by the religious affairs department of the people's government at the county level, the religious affairs department of the people's government at the level of a city divided into districts shall, if it agrees to the establishment of a Buddhist monastery, Taoist temple, mosque or church, put forward its views upon examination and verification and make a report to the religious affairs department of the people's government of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central government for examination and approval; and for the establishment of other fixed premises for religious activities, it shall make a decision of approval or disapproval.

A religious body may begin the preparatory work for establishing a site for religious activity only after the application for such establishment is approved.

Article 14

A site for religious activities to be established shall meet the following conditions:

1) it is established for a purpose not in contravention of the provisions of Article 3 and 4 of these Regulations;

2) local religious citizens have a need to frequently carry out collective religious activities;

3) there are religious personnel or other persons who are qualified under the prescriptions of the religion concerned to preside over the religious activities;

4) there are the necessary funds; and

5) it is rationally located without interfering with the normal production and livelihood of the neighboring units and residents.

Article 15

Upon approval of preparation for the establishment of a site for religious activities and completion of construction, an application shall be made for registration with the religious affairs department of the people's government at the county level of the place where such site is located. The religious affairs department of the people's government at the county level shall, within 30 days from the date of receipt of the application, examine the management organization, formulation of internal rules, and other aspects of such site, and, if the site meets the conditions of registration, register it and issue the Registration Certificate of the Site for Religious Activities.

Article 16

Where a site for religious activities merges with another one, divides itself, terminates, ore changes any item registered, the formalities for alteration registration shall be gone through with the original registration administration department.

Article 17

A site for religious activities shall set up a management organization and exercise democratic management. Members of the management organization of the site for religious activities shall be recommended or elected upon democratic consultation, and then be reported to the registration administration department of such site for the record.

Article 18

A site for religious activities shall strengthen internal management, and, in accordance with the provisions of the relevant laws, regulations and rules, establish and improve the management systems for personnel, finance, accounting, security, fire control, cultural relics protection, sanitation and epidemic prevention, etc., and accept the guidance, supervision and inspection by the relevant departments of the local people's government.

Article 19

The religious affairs department shall supervise and inspect the sites for religious activities in terms of their compliance with laws, regulations and rules, the development and implementation of management systems, the alteration of registered items, the conduction of religious activities and activities that involve foreign affairs. The sites for religious activities shall accept the supervision and inspection by the religious affairs department.

Article 20

A site for religious activities may accept donations from citizens in accordance with religious customs, but no means of compulsion or apportionment may be adopted.

No non-religious bodies or sites not for religious activities may organize or hold religious activities, nor accept religious donations.

Article 21

Religious articles, artworks and publications may be sold in the sites for religious activities.

A Buddhist monastery, Taoist temple, mosque or church that is registered as a site for religious activities (hereinafter referred to as a monastery, temple, mosque or church) may, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the State, compile and publish reference publications to be circulated within religious circles.

Article 22

Where a large-scale religious activity, in which different provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government are involved and which is beyond the accommodation capacity of a site for religious activities, is to be held, or where a large-scale religious activity is to be held outside a site for religious activities, the religious body, monastery, temple, mosque or church that sponsors such activity shall, 30 days before the activity is held, make an application to the religious affairs department of the people's government of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government of the place where such large-scale religious activity is to be held. The religious affairs department of the people's government of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government shall, within 15 days from the date of receipt of the application, make a decision of approval or disapproval.

A large-scale religious activity shall, as required in the written notification of approval, proceed in accordance with religious rites and rituals, without violating the relevant provisions of Articles 3 and 4 of these Regulations. The religious body, monastery, temple, mosque or church that sponsors such large-scale religious activity shall adopt effective measures to prevent against any accidents. The people's government of the township or town and the relevant departments of the local people's government at or above the county level of the place where such large-scale religious activity is to be held shall, within the limits of their respective functions and duties, exercise the necessary administration in order to ensure the safe and orderly progress of the large-scale religious activity.

Article 23

A site for religious activities shall prevent against the occurrence, within the site, of any major accident or event, such as breaking of religious taboos, which hurts religious feelings of citizens, disrupts the unity of all nationalities or impairs social stability.

When an accident or event mentioned in the preceding paragraph occurs, the site for religious activities in question shall, without delay, make a report to the religious affairs department of the people's government at the county level of the place where it is located.

Article 24

Where a religious body, monastery, temple, mosque or church intends to build a large-size outdoor religious statue outside the site for religious activities, the relevant religious body of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government shall make an application to the religious affairs department of the people's government of the province, autonomous region or municipality directly under the Central Government, which shall, within 30 days from the date of receipt of the application, put forward its view, and , if it aggress to the building of the statue, make a report to the religious affairs department of the State Council for examination and approval.

The religious affairs department of the State Council shall, within 60 days from the date of receipt of the report on building a large-size outdoor religious statue outside the site for religious activities, make a decision of approval or disapproval.

No organizations or individuals other than religious bodies, monasteries, temples, mosques and churches may build large-size outdoor religious statues.

Article 25

Where a unit or individual intends to alter or construct buildings, set up commercial service centers, hold displays or exhibitions, or make films or television programs in a site for religious activities, it shall obtain in advance the consent of the site for religious activities in question and that of the religious affairs department of the local people's government at or above the county level of the place where such site is located.

Article 26

For a scenic spot or historic zone where a site for religious activities therein constitutes the main tourist attraction, the local people's government at or above the county level of the place where such spot or zone is located shall coordinate and deal with the interrelated interests between the site for religious activities and the park, relics, and tourism, and safeguard the rights and interests of the site for religious activities.

The planning and construction of a scenic spot or historic zone where a site for religious activities constitutes the main tourist attraction shall be in harmony with the style and surroundings of such site.

Chapter IV Religious Personnel

Article 27

Religious personnel who are determined qualified as such by a religious body and reported for the record to the religious affairs department of the people's government at or above the county level may engage in professional religious activities.

The succession of living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism shall be conducted under the guidance of Buddhism bodies and in accordance with the religious rites and rituals and historical conventions, and be reported for approval to the religious affairs department of the people's government at or above the level of a city divided into districts, or to the people's government at or above the level of a city divided into districts. With respect to Catholic bishops, the matter shall be reported for the record by the national religious body of the Catholic Church to the religious affairs department of the State Council.

Article 28

Where religious personnel are to assume or leave the chief religious posts of a site for religious activities, the matter shall, upon consent by the religious body of the religion concerned, be reported to the religious affairs department of the people's government at or above the county level for the record.

Article 29

The presiding of religious activities, conduction of religious ceremonies, sorting out of religious scriptures and pursuit of religious and cultural research by religious personnel are protected by law.

Chapter V Religious Property

Article 30

The land legally used by a religious body or a site for religious activities, the houses, structures and facilities legally owned or used by such body or site, and its other legal property and proceeds thereof, are protected by law.

No organization or individual may encroach upon, loot, privately divide up, damage, destroy, or, illegally set up, impound, freeze, confiscate or dispose of the legal property of a religious body or a site for religious activities, nor damage or destroy relics possessed or used by a religious body or a site for religious activities.

Article 31

The houses owned and the land used by a religious body or a site for religious activities shall, according to law, be registered with the real estate department and the land administration department of the local people' government at or above the county level, and be granted the certificate of ownership and the certificate of right of use; where the property right is altered, the formalities of alteration of registration shall be gone through without delay.

The land administration shall, when determining and altering the land-use right of a religious body or a site for religious activities, solicit the views of the religious affairs department of the people's government at the same level.

Article 32

Where the houses or structures of a religious body or a site for religious activities need to be demolished or relocated because of city planning or construction of key projects, the demolisher shall consult with the religious body or the site for religious activity concerned, and solicit the views of the relevant religious affairs department. If, after consultation, all the parties concerned agree to the demolition, the demolisher shall rebuild the houses or structures demolished, or, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the State, make compensation on the basis of the appraised market price of the houses or structures demolished.

Article 34

A religious body or a site for religious activities may operate public undertakings according to the law, and the proceeds and other lawful income there from shall be subject be subject to financial and accounting management, and be used for the activities that are commensurate with the purposes of the religious body or the site for religious activities, or for public undertakings.

Article 35

A religious body or a site for religious activities may, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the State, accept donations from organizations and individuals at home or abroad, which shall be used for the activities that are commensurate with the purposes of the religious body or the site for religious activities.

Article 36

A religious body or a site for religious activities shall implement the systems of the State for administration of financial and accounting affairs and taxation, and may enjoy the preferential treatment in terms of tax reduction or exemption in accordance with the relevant provisions of the State on taxation.

A religious body or a site for religious activities shall report to the religious affairs department of the people's government at or above the county level of the place where it is located on its income and expenditure, and on the acceptance and use of donations as well, and, in an appropriate way, make such information public to religious citizens.

Article 37

In case of cancellation of registration or termination of a religious body or a site for religious activities, the property thereof shall be liquidated and the property remaining after liquidation shall be used for the undertakings that are commensurate with the purpose of the religious body or the site for religious activities.

Chapter VI Legal Liability

Article 38

Where any State functionary, in administration of religious affairs, abuses his power, neglects his duty or commits illegalities for personal gain or by fraudulent means, and a crime is thus constituted, he shall be investigated for criminal liability according to the law; if no crime is constituted, he shall be given administrative sanction according to the law.

Article 39

Where anyone compels citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion, or interferes with the normal religious activities conducted by a religious body or a site for religious activities, the religious affairs department shall order it to make corrections; if such act constitutes a violation of public security administration, it shall be given an administrative penalty for public security according to law.

Where anybody infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of a religious, a site for religious activities or a religious citizen, it shall assume civil liability according to law; if a crime is constituted, it shall be investigated for criminal liability according to law.

Article 40

Where anyone makes use of religion to engage in such illegal activities as endanger State or public security, infringe upon citizens' right of the person and democratic rights, obstruct the administration of public order, or encroach upon public or private property, and a crime is thus constituted, it shall be investigated for criminal liability according to law; if no crime is constituted, the relevant competent department shall give it an administrative penalty according to law; if any loss is caused to a citizen, legal person or any other organization, it shall assume civil liability according to law.

Where, in the course of a large-scale religious activity, there occurs any event endangering public security or seriously disrupting public order, the matter shall be handled on the spot and penalties shall be imposed in accordance with the laws and administrative regulations on assembly, procession and demonstration; if the religious body, monastery, temple, mosque or church that sponsors such large-scale religious activity is responsible therefore, the registration administration department shall cancel its registration.

Where anyone organizes a large-scale religious activity without approval, the religious affairs department shall order it to discontinue such activities and shall confiscate the illegal gains, if any; and it may concurrently impose thereupon a fine of not less than one time but not more than three times the illegal gains. In addition, if the large-scale religious activity is organized by a religious body or a site for religious activities without approval, the registration administration department may order the religious body or site for religious activities to dismiss and replace the person-in-charge who is directly responsible therefore.

Article 41

Where a religious body or a site for religious activities commits any of the following acts, the religious affairs department shall order it to make corrections; if the circumstances are relatively serious, the registration administration department shall order the religious body or the site for religious activities to dismiss and replace the person-in-charge who is directly responsible therefore; if the circumstances are serious, the registration administration department shall cancel the registration of such religious body or site for religious activities and confiscate the unlawful property or things of value, if any:

1) failure to go through the formalities of alteration registration or submission of record in accordance with relevant provisions;

2) in the case of a site for religious activities, in violation of Article 18 of these Regulations, failing to formulate relevant management systems, or failing to have the management systems meet these requirements;

3) failing to report, without delay, on the occurrence of any major accident or event in a site for religious activities, thus causing serious consequences;

4) contravening the principle of independence and self-governance in violation of the provisions of Article 4 of these Regulations;

5) accepting donations from home or abroad in violation of these provisions of the State; or

6) refusing to accept supervision and administration conducted by the registration administration department according to law.

Article 42

Where any publications involving religious contents contain the contents prohibited by the second paragraph of Article 7 of these Regulations, the relevant competent department shall impose administrative penalties upon the relevant responsible units and persons according to the law. If a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be investigated according to law.

Article 43

Where a site for religious activity is established without approval, or a site originally for religious activities continues to carry out religious activities after its registration as such has been cancelled, or an institute for religious education is established without approval, the religious affairs department shall ban such site or institute and confiscate the illegal gain; the illegal houses or structures, if any, shall be disposed of by the competent construction department according to law. If any act in violation of public security administration is committed, an administrative penalty for public security shall be imposed according to law.

Where a non-religious body or a site not for religious activities organizes or holds religious activities or accepts religious donations, the religious affairs department shall order it to discontinue such activities and confiscate the illegal gains, if any; if the circumstances are serious, a fine of not less than one time but no more than three times the illegal gains may be imposed concurrently.

Where anyone organizes the making of hajj abroad for religious citizens without authorization, the religious affairs department shall order it to discontinue such activities and shall confiscate the illegal gains, if any; and it may concurrently impost a fine of not less than one time but no more than three times the illegal gains.

Article 44

Where, in violation of the provisions of these Regulations, anyone builds a large outdoor religious statue, the religious affairs department shall order it to discontinue the construction and to demolish the statue in a specified time limit; the illegal gains, if any, shall be confiscated.

Article 45

Where any religious personnel violate laws, regulations or rules in professional religious activities, the religious affairs department shall, in addition to having the legal liability investigated according to law, make a proposal to the religious body concerned to disqualify them as religious personnel.

Where anyone engages in professional religious activities by impersonating religious personnel, the religious affairs department shall order it to discontinue such activities and shall confiscate the illegal gains, if any; if a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be investigated according to the law.

Article 46

Where anyone refuses to accept a specific administrative act taken by the religious affairs department, it may apply for administrative reconsideration according to law; if it refuses to accept the decision of the administrative reconsideration, it may institute an administrative lawsuit according to law.

Chapter VII Supplementary Provisions

Article 47

The religious exchange between the Mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Administrative Region and Taiwan region shall be developed in accordance with laws, administrative regulation and the relevant provisions of the State.

Article 48

These Regulations shall become effective as of March 1, 2005. The Regulations on Administration of Sites for Religious Activities promulgated by the State Council on January 31, 1994 shall be repealed simultaneously.
 

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