China and the Catholic Church

[Charlemagne_III]

Can someone explain to me how there can be two Catholic Churches in China? The government promotes Catholicism, but only if it is controlled by the State. So does it really promote Catholicism, or does it really seek to divide and conquer? What advantage is it to the state to promote religion, when it considers religion to be poison, as the article below states?

catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/01/30/priest-urges-chinese-catholics-to-stay-united-in-face-of-beijing-defiance/

 

[PaulfromIowa]

The Chinese Communists tried to eliminate the Catholic Church but realized that they could not be successful. So they created a schismatic “Catholic” Church under state control. The real Catholic Church still exists underground.

 

[Charlemagne_III]

The Chinese Communists tried to eliminate the Catholic Church but realized that they could not be successful. So they created a schismatic “Catholic” Church under state control. The real Catholic Church still exists underground.

But is the real Catholic Church still tolerated alongside the State Catholic Church?

Why does China need to control the government version of the Catholic Church, and are the bishops and the priests of the government Church validly ordained?

If not, why would anybody want to be part of that Church when they could belong to the authentic Church?

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Difficult questions to answer briefly. There have been negotiations between the Vatican and the PRC government.

See:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Patriotic_Catholic_Association

But is the real Catholic Church still tolerated alongside the State Catholic Church?

The underground Church is persecuted. Some priests and bishops are in prison.

Why does China need to control the government version of the Catholic Church,

Communism is totalitarian. All areas of life are government controlled.

are the bishops and the priests of the government Church validly ordained?

Some are validly ordained, some are not. Obviously, the government schismatic church is illicit.

why would anybody want to be part of that Church when they could belong to the authentic Church?

It is much easier to cooperate and collaborate with a totalitarian government than risk persecution and imprisonment.

 

[Charlemagne_III]

Difficult questions to answer briefly. There have been negotiations between the Vatican and the PRC government.

See:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Patriotic_Catholic_Association

Thanks for the reference to that fascinating article.

What emerges as significant is that although the government of China is officially atheistic, it seeks to control a religious organization at least to the extent of diminishing its unity.

So we see here an example of what atheists might well do to religion when they get control of the government.