About the Catholic Church in China

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Here is a question I asked on 03,10th,11 in the Traditional Catholicism forum.I am actaully kind of suprised that no one answered me and thought that maybe no one who viewed that thread actually knew the answer to my question.In that case I’ll put it here to see if anyone answers (which would be much appreciated).Here is my question."I’m not sure if I understand this correctly but I’ve heard that the Catholic Church in China is’nt like in communion with Rome because of how it’s like controlled by the state.However if I were to go to China,go to a Catholic Church there that is supervised by the state and do things like confess my self,attend a Mass and recieve Communion in one of those Churches would it be as “valid” as me doing those things in any other country where the Church is’nt under control of the state?.Thank you very much so for your time. ".
 
It is my understanding that the Catholic Church exists in two forms in China: one that is controlled by the state and is therefore not in communion with Rome, and one that is the “underground” Catholic Church, which Pope John Paul II said is in communion with Rome. Go to the Vatican website and look into the Church in China to see where you could receive the sacraments validly; you cannot receive the sacraments from a Church that is not in communion with the Vatican.
 
There have been posters here at CAF who are more familiar with the Church in China than I am but they have repeated the same message. **Do not try to attend or even make contact with the underground Church. ** You may be endangering yourself of some other person.

Attending the Masses at the Government’s Church is ok, as far as I can tell, but I don’t know if the Mass is considered valid but illicit or just invalid. Confession would almost surely be invalid since the priests in the Government Churches would not have faculties. But you could go out of interest. I just wouldn’t go to Communion.

Speak to your priest before going. You are most likely excused from your Sunday obligation while in China.
 
Last year my wife and I went to China to have fun and celebrate the Qingming Festival. We found a parish, but we didn’t take the Eucharist because we had no idea if it was in communion with the Vatican or valid.
 
:eek: This is confusing and upsetting because I’ve been here over a year and I’ve never stopped to consider the Catholic Churches here to be “invalid” and not in communion with Rome. Except for the obvious {don’t criticize the gov’t / incite political dissent} we have the same Sunday Missals and sermons much the same as what we get from our home countries. We have even formed groups for Bible studies and other faith-related activities ie. CLS, CFC. Our religious life is in no way put on hold and it would be hard to accept that we’re receiving “invalid sacraments” while we are here.
 
My knowledge here is somewhat limited I can actually ask my boyfriend later he knows more about the currently situation I know a lot more about the history - Together we have the answer haha 😛
My aunt was in a Catholic Mission in ‘red’ China she died in China the letters back and forth are really interesting …
She was a brave women.

At any rate I know the gov’t wanted people to join the Catholic patriotic association (I believe) and denounce the Vatican -
A lot of people did join so as not avoid being persecuted but did not “really” denounced the Vatican.
Currently i think most of the bishops in the patriotic association have reconciled w the Vatican.
 
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