Becoming Catholic in China

[ilumus]

Hello everyone! I am in kind of a pickle. I was raised Protestant, but later converted to the Orthodox Church. I then moved to China and married a Protestant Chinese. I then visited the Orthodox archbishop over this part of Asia. He suggested, that since there were absolutely no Orthodox Churches in my area, that I choose one of the Protestant ones. So I have been going there for 5 years, all the while becoming Protestant.
But I have deep regrets. I know that I am wrong. I need the sacraments. But there are no Orthodox churches where I am, only some Roman ones.
I am in the process of reconsidering the Roman Catholic Church, after all she is the Church, whereas none of the Protestants can claim descent from the Apostles.
If I want to get into communion with the Roman Catholic church, are there any suggestions on how I might go about it?

 

[anjoh66]

Hello everyone! I am in kind of a pickle. I was raised Protestant, but later converted to the Orthodox Church. I then moved to China and married a Protestant Chinese. I then visited the Orthodox archbishop over this part of Asia. He suggested, that since there were absolutely no Orthodox Churches in my area, that I choose one of the Protestant ones. So I have been going there for 5 years, all the while becoming Protestant.
But I have deep regrets. I know that I am wrong. I need the sacraments. But there are no Orthodox churches where I am, only some Roman ones.
I am in the process of reconsidering the Roman Catholic Church, after all she is the Church, whereas none of the Protestants can claim descent from the Apostles.
If I want to get into communion with the Roman Catholic church, are there any suggestions on how I might go about it?

There is only one way and it is to talk to a priest about your situation, speculating over the internet will not give any solution.

I suggest that you contact a priest as quick as possible and talk to him and find out what will be best for you to do.

But i dont think the church will accept you if your view is that you want communion with the church because she is the closest to the orthodox church, so probably this will need a lot of consideration.

Anyhow, speculating over the internet will not solve anything, go and talk to a priest thats the best thing you can do.

Also the catholic church allow the orthodox to take communion in the church but i dont think that the orthodox can take communion in the catholic church, correct me if i am wrong.

The problem is that you became protestant, well now we are there speculating, better go and talk to a priest.

But i must say that it was kind of a strange suggestion the archbishop gave to you. Why didnt he send you to a catholic church instead of a protestant one?

I wish you the best and hope you find a solution.

 

[CatholicLife]

Hello everyone! I am in kind of a pickle. I was raised Protestant, but later converted to the Orthodox Church. I then moved to China and married a Protestant Chinese. I then visited the Orthodox archbishop over this part of Asia. He suggested, that since there were absolutely no Orthodox Churches in my area, that I choose one of the Protestant ones. So I have been going there for 5 years, all the while becoming Protestant.
But I have deep regrets. I know that I am wrong. I need the sacraments. But there are no Orthodox churches where I am, only some Roman ones.
I am in the process of reconsidering the Roman Catholic Church, after all she is the Church, whereas none of the Protestants can claim descent from the Apostles.
If I want to get into communion with the Roman Catholic church, are there any suggestions on how I might go about it?

The Catholic Church is illegal in China , the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association on the other hand is the “legal” church.
For more info go here

 

[jblake]

anjoh66;:

But i must say that it was kind of a strange suggestion the archbishop gave to you. Why didn’t he send you to a catholic church instead of a protestant one?

Given the history of Orthodox Christianity, I’m not surprised at his suggestion. Do you send somebody to worship with a known devil, an unknown devil, or a possible devil? Or do you tell them to fend for themselves, with no support from either Christians, or those who purport to be Christians?

At any rate, it would have been a very difficult decision for the Archbishop to make.
What you may not know, is that the Chinese Government attempts to exercise very strict control over religious organizations. (Historically, large religious organizations, especially when they claim to be “for benign purposes”, have either overthrown the ruling party, or devastated eitherlarge regions, or the entire country, in uprisings, civil strife, and civil wars. (Fortunately (??) for Christianity, Chinese history indicates that Falun Gong is a much bigger, and more serious threat to the rulers of China, than Christianity is. Once Falun Gong has been adequately dealt with, I have no illusions that Christianity will come under the full scrutiny of the regime. The effects of that scrutiny will not be pretty. ) )

Officially, only three legal churches exist. The state regulates when, where, and how they are to meet. The state appoints who does what. The state specifies what they may, and may not teach. The state executes those who disobey— billing the family for the expenses involved in that operation.

Unofficially, there are thousands of churches in China. Some Catholic, some Protestant, and some just people who found the Bible, and constructed their forms of Worship from that. The members of all of these congregations run the risk of legal punishment, if their affiliation with the independent congregation is ever suspected.

jonathon

 

[anjoh66]

Oh

I didnt know it is forbidden, that makes it much more difficult.

In that case it is no use to go to a priest there, maybe better to contact someone via internet.