I came across a great quote from the Ancient Greek Poet, Homer in, The Odyssey' , which could well be applied to folks at the Vatican. 'Hateful to me as the Gates of Hades is the man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another'. Which is what the Trojan Horse was all about. Or as I say in Ireland, 'Beware being sold a pup'. The name of the Trojan Horse here is False, 'Mercy' https://thewildvoice.org/pope-francis-chronology-perspective/
http://magister.blogautore.espresso...e-humanae-vitae-francis-liberalizes-the-pill/ Goodbye, "Humanae Vitae." Francis Liberalizes the Pill 30 gen > Italiano > English > Español > Français > All the articles of Settimo Cielo in English * Goodbye, “Humanae Vitae.” Half a century later, the encyclical against artificial methods of birth control that marked the most dramatic moment of the pontificate of Paul VI, rejected by entire episcopates, contested by countless theologians, disobeyed by myriads of faithful, is now giving way to a radical reinterpretation, to a “paradigm shift” undoubtedly desired and encouraged by Pope Francis himself. Paradox would have it that Paul VI should be the pope whom Jorge Mario Bergoglio admires and praises the most. And precisely - his own words - for the “prophetic brilliance” with which he wrote that encyclical and for his “courage in standing up against the majority, in defending moral discipline, in applying a cultural brake, in opposing neo-Malthusianism present and future.” But the reality is that “everything depends on how ‘Humanae Vitae’ is interpreted,” as Pope Francis never fails to comment. Because “the question is not that of changing doctrine, but of digging deep and making sure that pastoral practice takes into account the situations and what persons are able to do.” His wish becomes command. An authoritative guise has now been given to the new interpretive paradigm of “Humanae Vitae,” with an explicit go-ahead for artificial contraception, by one of the pope’s most respected theologians, Maurizio Chiodi, professor of moral theology at the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy and a newly appointed member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, already the author of a book published in 2006, “Etica della vita,” that upheld the legitimacy of artificial procreation. The authoritativeness of his position is confirmed by two connected facts. The first is the context in which Chiodi laid down the new interpretation of “Humanae Vitae”: a conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University on December 14, in the course of a round of meetings dedicated to that encyclical at the fiftieth anniversary of its publication, organized by the university’s faculty of moral theology, directed by the Argentine Jesuit Humberto Miguel Yáñez, a protege of Bergoglio’s. A detailed account of this conference was provided by the American journalist Diane Montagna on LifeSite News on January 8, followed by lively reactions from defenders of the contested encyclical: > New Academy for Life member uses "Amoris" to say some circumstances "require" contraception But now there’s more. On Sunday, January 28 Chiodi’s conference was prominently featured by the newspaper of the Italian episcopal conference, “Avvenire,” in the monthly supplement “Noi, Famiglia & Vita,” introduced with a commentary entitled “From pope Montini to Francis, development in fidelity,” which states: “It is a position [that of Chiodi] that authoritatively takes its place in the debate underway, and that must not be understood as an overrun or critique of ‘Humanae Vitae,’ a text that is and remains the fruit of a prophetic and courageous decision for the time and historical situation in which pope Montini conceived of it, not without torment and not without having clarified that this was a matter of a magisterium that was neither infallible nor irreformable. In this perspective, the theologian’s reflection is to be understood as a proposal that is intended to represent the development of a tradition. And a tradition, in order to be alive and to continue to speak to the women and men of our time, must not be fossilized but rendered dynamic, which means to be in keeping with a society that is changing. Fr. Chiodi has the courage to define the problem that is raised by some theologians and experts on pastoral practice. Are natural methods really to be understood as the only means possible for family planning?” The commentary, as can be seen, ends with a question mark. Which is, however, entirely rhetorical. The ideas Chiodi presents in his conference, in fact, are not hypothetical, but affirmative. There are circumstances - he maintains - that not only allow but “require” other methods, not natural, for birth control. The complete text of Chiodi’s conference republished in “Avvenire” - with a few edits that do not substantially alter it with respect to the one delivered at the Gregorian - is on this other page of Settimo Cielo: > Rileggere "Humanae vitae" alla luce di "Amoris laetitia" After discussing again “the subjective responsibility of conscience and the essential relationship between norm and discernment” in the vein of the postsynodal exhortation from Pope Francis, Chiodi poses “the question of whether natural methods can / should be the only form of responsible procreation.” And these are the conclusions at which he arrives: “That to which the practice of ‘natural methods of fertility’ attests is the responsorial character of procreation: these too say that to procreate is not to create. The method, however, attests to more than it can guarantee on its own. It reveals a sense that transcends it. If the responsibility of procreating is that to which these ‘methods’ refer, then one can understand how in situations in which these are impossible or impracticable other forms of responsibility must be found: these ‘circumstances,’ for responsibility, require other methods of birth control. In these cases, ‘technological’ intervention does not deny the responsibility of the procreating relationship, just as moreover a conjugal relationship that observes natural methods is not automatically responsible. “The insistence of the magisterium on natural methods therefore cannot be interpreted as a norm that is an end in itself, nor as mere conformity with the laws of biology, because the norm refers to the good of conjugal responsibility and the physical laws (physis) of infertility are inscribed upon a body of flesh and in human relations that cannot be reduced to biological laws. “Technology, in certain circumstances, can allow the preservation of the responsible quality of the sexual act. So this cannot be rejected a priori, when the birth of a child is at stake, because this too is a form of acting and as such requires discernment on the basis of moral criteria that cannot be reduced to a syllogistic-deductive application of the norm.” For the benefit of the reader, this is how “Avvenire” summarizes, in the center of the page, Chiodi’s reinterpretation of “Humanae Vitae”: “If there are situations in which natural methods are impossible or impracticable, other ways must be found, because responsible procreation cannot ignore what technology has to offer.” Con’t
Con’t It is helpful to add that on January 27, the day before the republication of this conference by Chiodi, Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life and grand chancellor of the John Paul II Institute, also said in an interview with the newspaper of the Italian episcopal conference, alluding to “Humanae Vitae,” that “further exploration on the front of responsibility in procreation” must be made, because “the norms are there to enliven human beings, not to operate robots,” and therefore “they require a process of evaluation that must take into account the whole of the concrete circumstances and of the relations in which the person finds himself.” And even before Chiodi gave his conference at the Gregorian, Bishop Luigi Bettazzi, 94, one of the very few bishops still living who took part in Vatican Council II, had said to “Avvenire” on October 29, 2017 that fifty years after “Humanae Vitae” “the time has come to rethink the question,” because “it is not the doctrines that change, but it is we ourselves, with the passing of the years, who are able to understand their meaning better and better, interpreting them in the light of the signs of the times.” Moreover, since last spring a study commission set up at the Vatican has already been working to reconstruct the genesis of “Humanae Vitae” from the historical and documentary point of view. Its members are the Monsignors Gilfredo Marengo and Pierangelo Sequeri of the John Paul II Institute, Angelo Maffeis of the Paul VI Institute in Brescia, and the historian Philippe Chenaux of the Pontifical Lateran University. Marengo and Paglia have denied that the work of the commission has to do with the contents of “Humanae Vitae,” much less with a reinterpretation of them. But it is all too clear that the revisitation of the tumultuous path of the that encyclical’s preparation - in which already back then the circles in favor of artificial contraception were stronger and more pressing than those against, espoused by Paul VI - can only benefit the paradigm shift that is underway. (English translation by Matthew Sherry, Ballwin, Missouri, U.S.A.)
I am not surprised, but still totally sickened by the latest turn of events. It was coming down the chute.
"Cardinal Joseph Zen: ‘Vatican Is Selling Out the Catholic Church in China" http://www.breitbart.com/national-s...-is-selling-out-the-catholic-church-in-china/ GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
I should have been taking Vit "D"!! Got the Flu Bug.... probably at Wal-Mart ... & was down for 10+ Days! Some schools closed nearby and many neighbors/friends down too. Still got February to Go! Take Care!! GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
The Bishop has go this the wrong way around. The sign of the times is that he wants to overturn Humanae Vitae! The sign of the times is that we see bishop against bishop and cardinal against cardinal. That the church is full of pastors who want to compromise with the spirit of the world which is anti-Christ. Never has it been so easy to read the signs of the times. Yet we have leaders who are asleep! And even worse some who have betrayed Christ. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
I remember my Old Navy Dad giving me Bourbon-n-Honey when I was a kid with a bad cold. I still use that remedy to this day! ...... the way things are going? I'd better buy a case of Bourbon my next visit to the base Class 6 Store!! I live in a Dry County surrounded by dry counties ..... it's near 70 miles to the nearest liquor store. What this all has to do with The Fallen Vatican is beyond me!!?? Oh!! ... Yeah!! .. Now we are back to the need for that case of Bourbon!! GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
Couldn't have said it better.... It kills me to see my Priest not compromise....but compromise if you know what i mean.
The signs of the times since 1968, as Pope Paul predicted: Broken marriages, abortions, promiscuity, sexual perversion, broken families and heart-broken children, and looming catastrophically over it all, demographic collapse. This move would be in contradiction of his mocking of Europe, earlier in his pontificate, for being like an 'old woman' for not reproducing itself. What sort of new understanding are the non-existent Europeans of the future going to have? This ageing liberal bishop is another prelate who imagines himself to have evolved divine powers of discernment compared to all those cretins from the past who simplistically just did what God advised.
Uproar over bishop reshuffle in China The Holy See has asked two recognized bishops in China to step down and make way for illicit bishops, causing uproar among Chinese Catholics. After learning of the move, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong made a special trip to Rome to hand in a letter to Pope Francis. The emeritus bishop told ucanews.com that it is a very critical issue, and he hoped the Holy See would "step back from the precipice before it is too late." Bishop Zhuang Jianjian, 88, of Shantou of Guangdong province, and Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin, 59, of Mindong of Fujian province, were asked to step down. Both are recognized by the Holy See. Bishop Zhuang was asked to give way to illicit Bishop Huang Bingzhang, 51, of Shantou, who is excommunicated. Bishop Guo was asked to make way for government-sanctioned Bishop Zhan Silu, 57, of Mindong, who was ordained illicitly. According to Catholic media, Bishop Zhuang was forced to go to Beijing in December 2017 to meet a Vatican delegation led by "a foreign high-ranking prelate." He was asked to resign and give up his episcopate to Bishop Huang. A source who asked to be unnamed told ucanews.com that Bishop Zhuang, however, denied the request "because it would violate the dogma and principles of the church." A priest from Shantou Diocese questioned the delegates' real identities because "the incident is too incredible and unreasonable." The source said Bishop Zhuang had gone through the most difficult time in his life without shedding a tear but he felt betrayed and was very sad. The Vatican secretly approved the episcopal ordination of Bishop Zhuang in 2006, but the government only recognizes him as a priest. A Vatican delegation went to Fujian province to visit illicit Bishop Zhan. According to Asia News, Bishop Guo was detained by the government for a month in the Holy Week last year. He was asked to sign a document stating that he was "volunteering" for demotion. It was said that the document was the condition for him to be recognized by the government. An underground church administrator said it was not a good approach to sacrifice recognized community bishops' allegiance. There is no sign of the Chinese government releasing its grip on the church, he added. Paul, a Catholic from Hebei province, said the Holy See was using all means to sacrifice legitimate bishops in exchange for having good relations with Chinese authorities. "I am afraid that the Holy See has just been led by the nose, allowing itself to be manipulated," he said. He admitted to being shocked by the news and believes that the Holy See knows what is happening. "It is totally a shame on the church," he said. Paul stressed that the more the Holy See acts like that, the stronger Catholics should be. "We can neither bow nor compromise. If the Vatican does not live up to expectations, we have to fight for ourselves," he said. Benedict, a Catholic from Shanghai, told ucanews.com that he has already lost his faith in the Holy See because of this issue. He quoted a metaphor from Revelation 12, saying that "the Vatican currently compromises and cooperates with the Red Dragon at all cost, giving up the principles of the church, just revealing the act of a fictitious Christ and church." He also noted that "old bishops and priests of the underground church could not die in peace when they see what has happened." Another Catholic, John, said faith is not for trade and "the principles of the church could not be betrayed" but now the Holy See just "betrays those who maintain allegiance to the church and it ultimately submits itself to the total control of the Satan."
Hmmmm......what do you think? The Pope: no to rigid pastors, be tender and close to people Francis in Santa Marta: they must do like Jesus who “throws himself” amid the crowd, walking among and with people taking care of them http://www.lastampa.it/2018/01/30/v...-to-people-cs8JP6fEi4jkXicc90fW5L/pagina.html .....warm and fuzzy.....with all but the pastors! Then again we had a very "involved" and "tired at the end of the day" pastor; he had a huge cheering following for his constant enthusiastic work....until the shock came one day with "Pastor" suddenly gone. He got a bit too involved with one widow he was counseling with such "closeness". Another simplistic ad for the general audience's benefit?
The Holy See: on the “Chinese issue” there are those who foster confusion A statement by the Director of the Press Office confirms that there are no “presumed difference of thought and action between the Holy Father and his collaborators in the Roman Curia on issues relating to China”. The intervention serves to reassure Chinese Catholics, denying the voices of those who - like Cardinal Zen - want to accredit the idea of a Pope who “does not understand” Chinese issues and of a Vatican that “is selling out the Catholic Church in China” Pubblicato il 30/01/2018 GIANNI VALENTE VATICAN CITY On all that concerns the tormented China-Vatican issues, “The Pope is in constant contact with his collaborators, in particular in the Secretariat of State”, and “is informed by them faithfully and in detail on the situation of the Catholic Church in China and on the steps in the dialogue in progress between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China, which he follows with special attention”. The Holy See wanted to reiterate this forcefully through a statement issued by Greg Burke, director of the Vatican Press Office. The declaration also expresses “surprise and regret” for the fact that “the contrary is affirmed by people in the Church, thus fostering confusion and controversy”. The last sentences of the declaration, and the reference to the “widespread news on a presumed difference of thought and action between the Holy Father and his collaborators in the Roman Curia on issues relating to China”, leaves no doubt about whom the Vatican is targeting its statement. The communiquè aims to dispel misunderstandings and false theorems fueled in recent days around the cases of the Chinese dioceses of Shantou and Mindong, within the framework of the ongoing contacts between the Apostolic See and the Chinese government to find an agreement on the issue of episcopal appointments. In both dioceses, there are both one legitimate “clandestine” bishop and one illegitimate “patriotic” bishop, ordained with the approval of the Chinese government but without the apostolic mandate of the Holy See. Media channels - that have always been mobilized against Sino-Vatican negotiations - have reported that in recent months, the two legitimate bishops have been requested from Rome to leave the leadership of the diocese to the two bishops ordained illegitimately, once they are canonically legitimized. Faced with this request, the 87-year-old Bishop of Shanthou, Pietro Zhuang Jianjian, would have reportedly rejected the request communicated to him in Beijing by an envoy of the Holy See (which according to journalistic “indiscretions” it suggests is Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, involved for decades in the management of the complicated Sino-Vatican relations). On Monday 29 January, Cardinal Joseph Zen spoke on the Shanthou case, with a long message/appeal to the “dear friends in the media” in which, among other things, he revealed that he had taken steps to entrust directly to Pope Francis a letter from Bishop Zhuang. In his long speech, the bishop emeritus of Hong Kong had also reported the conversation in which the Pope told him that he had given instructions to Vatican officials not to create “another Mindszenty case” around the issue of the diocese of Shanthou. Zen presented the entire Shantou’s story as an argument in support of his attacks on the Holy See on the “Chinese dossier”. “ Do I think the Vatican is selling out the Catholic Church in China?” - Zen wrote – “Yes, definitely, if they go in the direction which is obvious from everything they have done in recent years and months”. The aim of the campaign articulated around the “Shanthou case” is precisely that of accrediting the “mediatically spendable” cliché of a Holy See and of a Roman Curia, that order the “faithful” bishops to surrender and step aside, that is ready to sacrifice Chinese Catholics in order to “get themselves high with “diplomatic successes” with the leaders of Beijing. To achieve this goal, the orchestrated diffusion of indiscretions also aims to foster the idea that Vatican “politics” over China cannot be attributed to the “Latin American Pope”, who “does not understand” Chinese issues and is poorly advised by his collaborators. Partial and manipulated reconstructions of personal conversations and meetings have been leaking, taking advantage also of the criteria of confidentiality to which the Holy See cannot fail to adhere, when delicate issues are dealt with, such as the choices of conscience to which the bishops are called in their bond of communion with the Successor of Peter. A militant strategy, “flat on the ground”, that risks spreading bewilderment and confusion also in many other Catholic communities in China. In the Chinese parishes, before the messages conveyed by Zen and agencies sharing the same line thought – many are beginning to wonder if the Pope and the Holy See are really betraying and abandoning the “clandestine” Catholics? The Holy See Communiqué thus seems to be aimed at reassuring above all Chinese Catholics, and protecting them from the effects of the of ecclesiastical politics maneuvers conceived in the West. http://www.lastampa.it/2018/01/30/v...-confusion-q51UfmMN7XnoGaYIvrUsXI/pagina.html
This just seems so much obfuscation and spin. Is Pope Francis going to betray Chinese Catholics or not? Faced with a choice of believing a crowd of curial, bureaucratic spin doctors allied with a Pope who has declared that 'it is the communists who think like Christians' and the word of a devout churchman who has defied advanced age and most likely ill-health to personally make the pilgrimage to Rome to deliver his message, I'm going to believe Cardinal Zen, all the way. Who has the ulterior agendas here, Cardinal Zen or a worldly, ambitious Vatican? I don't think the Chinese Catholics will be the least reassured by this double-talk.
The Vatican ‘clarification’ on China talks only makes things worse By Phil Lawler (bio - articles - email) | Jan 30, 2018 In its statement on the controversy surrounding talks between the Holy See and Beijing, the Vatican has affirmed what was never in question, while leaving the key question unanswered—at best. The January 30 statement from the Vatican press office is brief enough to be quoted in full: The Pope is in constant contact with his collaborators, in particular in the Secretariat of State, on Chinese issues, and is informed by them faithfully and in detail on the situation of the Catholic Church in China and on the steps in the dialogue in progress between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China, which he follows with special attention. It is therefore surprising and regrettable that the contrary is affirmed by people in the Church, thus fostering confusion and controversy. This statement appears, of course, in the wake of an impassioned plea from Cardinal Joseph Zen, who has repeatedly warned that Vatican negotiators do not recognize the dangers of appeasing Beijing. Cardinal Zen did not charge that the Holy Father was failing to listen to his advisers in the Secretariat of State. Quite the contrary. The Chinese cardinal worried aloud that the Pope might only listen to the Vatican negotiating team, and would not hear the anguished voices of loyal Catholics in China. So the emphatic statement that the Pope is listening to his negotiators is not likely to reassure Cardinal Zen and those who share his concerns. And actually it’s worse than that. In his public statement, Cardinal Zen made a point of sparing the Holy Father from direct criticism; he suggested that the Pope himself was not aware of talks about removing faithful Chinese bishops and replacing them with government-backed prelates. If there was any point on which the cardinal claimed a rift between the Pope and his advisers, it was here: Cardinal Zen said that the Pope was not responsible for that plan. Now, by saying that the Pope is completely in tune with his collaborators, the Vatican is giving the impression that the Holy Father did fully approve the plan. If that is the true meaning of the Vatican statement, it is likely only to inflame the controversy. If that is not the intent, it has perpetuated the confusion.
What's happening in China doesn't reflect well on anyone in Rome. Asia News is the most reliable source of Catholic news in China. Unlike LaStampa, they published in full the Vatican's statement which consisted of three sentences saying that the Pope's representatives in China did nothing without his knowledge and approval. No padding or whitewashing - just honest reporting. Backstabbing and undermining faithful Catholics is becoming the hallmark of this pontificate. Here's the Asia News report about the Vatican's collaboration with the Chinese Government and there are links beneath the article to reports on the lead-up to the present situation: http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Underground-Church-as-a-pawn-in-China’s-political-game,-a-thorn-in-the-side-of-the-Holy-See-42929.html Underground Church as a pawn in China’s political game, a thorn in the side of the Holy See Lay and clerical members of the official and underground Church speak about the Vatican’s decision to force out recognised underground bishops in favour of bishops approved by the Chinese government. A source of sadness, anger, and distress, some warn that in so doing the underground Church is forsaken, as the Holy See puts the whole Chinese Church in the hands of political power. Despite everything, people hold to obedience and hope. Rome (AsiaNews) – The fate of the underground Church, China’s unsanctioned Catholic community, is to be a “pawn in the political game as well as a thorn”, an “unstable element”, and a “hot potato” for the Holy See, said a Chinese lay Catholic. The latter’s and other views reached AsiaNews after reports suggest that the Vatican had asked some underground bishops in communion with the Holy See to resign in favour of government-sanctioned but unlawful and excommunicated bishops who are under the tight control of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Faced with the Vatican’s decision in favour of unlawful bishops, Catholics express sadness, sorrow, and anger. Certain themes recur. The comments we publish come from official and underground priests as well as lay people and nuns. As requested, their names have been withheld. 1 The Vatican seems to want to suppress the underground Church, like "Abraham when he had to sacrifice his son". For the members of these communities – especially the priests – there is no option but to "withdraw" or "go back to farming". 2. The loss of the underground community is also a loss for the Holy See because it will no longer have "the right to speak to the Church in China", which will be made up of official bishops and priests who will submit (willingly or unwillingly) to the government, or will be a (former) underground church "fully integrated and completely subordinated to politics". 3. There is pity for the Roman Curia, too "cautious" towards government demands, and criticism for a choice that will lead to more division than reconciliation in the Church. Still, here and there, the emphasis is on obedience and even on hope that through an "inappropriate" choice, which places the Church under temporal power, the Spirit will restore the faith of believers. And whilst some mention "Judas" who sold out his Lord, others remember that the "gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it." (BC) 1. The Vatican calls on legitimate bishops to resign and recognise "illegitimate bishops" in order to consolidate the legitimacy of the Council of Bishops. If this decision does not bring all underground bishops into a legitimate position in the Chinese Church authority, the Vatican will lose the right to speak to the Church in China. The most negative aspect is the fact that the Vatican will be useful to the Chinese government only to legitimise seven "illegitimate bishops". After that, the Chinese Church will be totally sinicised and the promises of the Chinese government to the Vatican will be delayed indefinitely until the underground Church is fully integrated and completely subordinated to politics. 2. I don’t know what to say. I am shocked, sad, disappointed, but I still have hope since the Holy Spirit is the soul of the Holy Church. I remember the word of the Lord: The “gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” Over time, the Church has seen so many trials, and the Lord has always chosen people to enlighten. 3. Initially I learnt from an article by Card Zen that loyalist bishops had to leave office in favour of illegitimate bishops. When I read the news, I was shocked and quite saddened. The attitude of the Holy See has deeply wounded the two loyalist bishops as well as the loyalist Church (underground community). I would like to stress that this decision must be verified: There is no guarantee that by sacrificing the underground Church we can maintain the Catholic Church and guarantee the purity of the faith in China. 4. I think that all the decisions of the Holy See have been well planned and thought out, but I am very sad about some decisions, even if I should be obedient. Abraham, when he had to sacrifice his son, surely was very sad, but obedience to God overcame his personal views. How can we reject the decision of the Holy See because of our feelings? Apart from the Holy Spirit, obedience is important in the history of the Church. Otherwise schism in the Church grows further. Let us pray: May the Lord not leave us; let us be obedient, with faith, before the Lord. 5. Asking Bishop Zhuang to resign is like abandoning a person who is loyal to you; to demote Bishop Guo is incredible news. As a Chinese saying goes: Cut the feet to fit the shoes. It is an inappropriate decision. China’s underground Church is a loyal Church. For tens of years, it has stayed away from the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. It has suffered a lot to remain faithful to the Lord and the Holy Father. Today, many underground churches have become a pawn in the political game as well as a thorn in the side of China-Vatican relations. China’s underground Church is indeed in an odd situation because China views it as an unstable element in society whilst the Holy See considers it a "hot potato". We must not forget obedience to the Lord. The Church of Rome is a universal Church; no one can use the name of the Church to destroy the people of the Lord. The Pope also said that we must be vigilant so that the faith is not colonised by ideology. The Church is the foundation of truth; it is our Mother and Teacher; it must guarantee justice and peace, promote religious freedom, protect human rights, and help people in need. The Church cannot submit to temporal power by marginalising its people. We have always hoped for the normalisation of Sino-Vatican diplomatic relations, but if this entails the suppression of the loyalist Church, then there will be more and more people like Dong Guanhua (a priest who appointed himself bishop in the underground Church). Alternatively, as Card Zen put it, “we’ll just go back home to farm". We hope that the Roman Curia will take seriously what we say and be cautious in the negotiations with our politicians. 6. In this case, for political reasons we are giving up the faith. The result of reconciliation is dereliction, or rather the desertion of the underground Church. The Vatican loses along all the line. Too bad, because in the future it will no longer have the right to speak: Loving one’s country will be more important than loving one’s religion. 7. I am disappointed, totally disappointed. The new Judah has sold his Lord again. The demon is happy! This makes no sense! He destroyed the Catholic Church in China.
