May 2, 2006
LIE DOWN WITH COMMIES....:
Hong Kong Cardinal Wants Vatican to End Diplomatic Talks with China (Fox News, May 02, 2006)
The Vatican should halt talks with China about restoring formal diplomatic ties because Beijing is ordaining bishops who aren't approved by the Roman Catholic church, a Hong Kong newspaper on Tuesday quoted a cardinal as saying.The reported comments by Hong Kong's outspoken Cardinal Joseph Zen came after China's state-sanctioned Catholic church appointed a new bishop Sunday in the southwestern city of Kunming. The Vatican had requested the ceremony be delayed until both sides could assess the candidate's qualifications.
Sadly the Vatican is pimping itself out to the PRC just like any businessman fixated on those one billion potential "customers." Posted by Orrin Judd at May 2, 2006 8:08 AM
Perhaps. But it's early yet. True, the Vatican is full of Lefties -- as the supposed Vatican opposition to the Iraq war and "displeasure" with America/Bush demonstrated. Benedict may yet step before this is over (when it is brought to his attention) and squash a rogue bishop or two's pretentions. No fool, he.
Might I suggest you try and get Father Neuhaus to cover this in the upcoming issue of First Things?
Posted by: Zen Catholic at May 2, 2006 10:50 AMI'll go along with Zen C on this one.
Back in the 20th Century, Vatican Ostpolitik p.o.'d a lot of right-wingers, including right-wing Catholics. In the end, the hammer-and-sickles came down and the crosses went back up all over THE FORMER SOVIET UNION. Let's see how this one plays out.
Posted by: Lou Gots at May 2, 2006 12:23 PMoj,
I don't think it's so much that the Vatican "pimping" itself out but that they are making sure the sacraments are available to the Catholic's that are in China.
Posted by: Bartman at May 2, 2006 2:57 PMBartman, make no mistake. The Chinese want 1. to give up nothing whatsoever while 2. gaining Vatican dropping diplomatic recognition of Taiwan (where fredom of religion is as strong if not stronger than America) and recognizing the PRC. Yet I don't think Benedict would go for this.
Posted by: Zen Catholic at May 2, 2006 3:32 PMThe Church is not a country, and "formal diplomatic ties" with China or any other nation shouldn't really matter. The Church will be around long after the PRC, so thinking in the short term wouldn't make any sense. Never believe anything written about the Vatican--the modern media isn't competent to tell such stories accurately.
Posted by: b at May 2, 2006 4:14 PM