church in China

[highland]

Hi,

I may be travelling to Xiamen, China nest week… Are we allow to attend the Mass in any church there and receieve Holy Communion…

many tks

BTW… any Catholic church in Xiamen, China?

 

[viktor_aleksndr]

i think there are Catholic church in China but i think they are so called "underground"church because they are not allowed to gather in public. Maybe you can ask some foreigners (look for Filipinos) they may know some underground churches in China because most of the Filipinos are catholics.

 

[pm1853]

Underground churches typically are underground for a reason. They’re probably worshipping illegally and most likely would not want any undue attention…strike that…any attention PERIOD drawn to them. As a westerner, I would think that you would stick out. When you’re worshipping illegally, sticking out is the one thing you can’t afford to do. You’re two options (I think) are attending mass at the National Church or getting a dispensation from mass altogether. I don’t know anything about the legal status (canon law, not law of the land) of the Chinese National Catholic Church (is that even the correct name?) so I would probably not recieve the eucharist.

Are there other options?

 

[SleepyGuy]

pm1853:

Underground churches typically are underground for a reason. They’re probably worshipping illegally and most likely would not want any undue attention…strike that…any attention PERIOD drawn to them. As a westerner, I would think that you would stick out. When you’re worshipping illegally, sticking out is the one thing you can’t afford to do. You’re two options (I think) are attending mass at the National Church or getting a dispensation from mass altogether. I don’t know anything about the legal status (canon law, not law of the land) of the Chinese National Catholic Church (is that even the correct name?) so I would probably not recieve the eucharist.

Are there other options?

The “Official Catholic Church” in China is the Catholic Patriotic Association. Its in schism for pratical purposes, but many of the bishops and priests are in “secret communion” with rome.

I guess you could go to one of those masses and just hope for the best. But I wouldnt try to hunt down an underground church, it could get you and them into a lot of trouble.

edit: Also, a lot of times, mass is held at a different home each weekend, so that will make it harder. Not all of the local governments crack down on the underground church, mostly because they dont cause trouble and stay out of sight. Though this isnt the norm accross the country. I know that in larger cities, you might have a church that is only for foreigners. This was the case for my mormon friend. CLS is banned in China, so he had to show his passport to get in.

 

[FionnualaOC]

We should not attend mass at the Patriotic Association churches because 1. they are in schism from Rome and 2. they represent a government that supports all sorts of policies like abortion, one-child families, etc… 3. their bishops are not appointed by the Vatican, but by the Chinese authorities.

It is dangerous to search for the underground “loyal” Catholic mass.
I was advised when I travelled to China some years ago that we are not obliged to attend on Sunday due to the circumstances in that country.

 

[mgy100]

It’s not in union with Rome because wal-mart bought it.