Is the 'Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association' in full communion with Rome?

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catholic03

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In September last year, the Holy See signed an agreement with the Chinese Communists, restoring excommunicated state appointed bishops to Rome.

I am still unsure. Does this mean that, for example, a Catholic in China is allowed to go to one of these Churches. Are all the dioceses in China now restored to full communion with the Holy See, or not?

Thanks.
 
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Your question is an important one, and I regret that I don’t know the answer. Vatican-China relations seem to be constantly shifting. The best place to keep track of what’s going on there is the Bitter Winter blog:

 
It is my understanding that there was always quite a bit if interaction and cooperation between the underground Bishop’s and the state approved/excommunicated Bishop’s. To the point that they shared office space at times. The Catholics were always allowed to go to mass and communion in the state approved churches. The Church never wanted to make life any harder than possible on the average Catholic.
 
My understanding is that the agreement officially restored communion between the state church and Rome. I believe this is true, just looking for confirmation.

Of course the newfound communion does not mean that the Chinese bishops are perfect. They are still espousing loyalty to the ‘socialist motherland’ for instance.
 
FYI, there was never a “state church”. The excommunicated Bishop’s never claimed to be part of a state church. They were simply approved/appointed by the state.
 
I have read news articles about the Vatican / China agreement, but I don’t know that the actual text of it has ever been published. It gives the Chinese authorities the ability to select bishops, but the Vatican can veto them. China requires that any religion have state approval, and asserts that when it comes to religion, adherence to the state has priority over adherence to religion.
 
Argentinian Archbishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview in 2018: “Right now, those who are best implementing the social doctrine of the Church are the Chinese.” So I guess that this statement and the silence regarding the situation in Hong Kong at the moment, indicates the Vatican`s view of the Communist Chinese regard for Catholicism.
“Is China a Model of the Common Good?”.

www.firstthings.com

Is China a Model of the Common Good? | Matthew Schmitz

The common good is not a euphemism for tyranny, and oppression is not a synonym for order.
www.firstthings.com www.firstthings.com
 
I have not been as critical as others of the Church’s recent agreement with China, but that statement was certainly a low point and showed how misinformed some of the hierarchy can be about affairs in parts of the world. It was truly a disgrace.
 
IanM said:
Argentinian Archbishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, said in an interview in 2018: “Right now, those who are best implementing the social doctrine of the Church are the Chinese.”
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I didn’t know that the Communist Chinese government is the best to implement the social doctrine of the Catholic Church on artificial contraception and abortion.
 
I have read most, if not all, of the Compendium of Social Doctrin of the Catholic Church, and I can assure you there is almost nothing it the book that the Chinese Government is the best at implementing. Now, that is not to say anyone does a good job of implementing it, but the Chinese are not even close to the best. The issues go far beyond artificial contraception and abortion. And I am not meaning to say those are not important issues. My point is that even the most liberal of Catholics, who are only concerned about social justice, can make that statement with any credibility at all. The statement can only be said to be a disgrace.
 
AlNg said:
Can they teach that artificial contraception is a mortal sin? I read that the Chinese state officially limits the number of children per family.
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The Chinese government ended the one-child per family policy in 2013.
 
Dan_Defender said:
The Chinese government ended the one-child per family policy in 2013.
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I thought that they still had a limit to the number of children per family. Can the priests or bishops in China teach that artificial birth control is a mortal sin?
 
But they trained their people well, not many will have 2. That policy is what guaranteed the eventual collapse of the Chinese culture and economy.
I remember in the 80s how everyone thought we should be like Japan. But they had a similiar demographic problem, and their economy has not grown for 30 years. China will eventually have an even bigger problem. As one economist said : the Japanese at least got rich before they got old. The Chinese have a majority of people still poor, yet the nation is getting old.

And they won’t be able to fix it.
 
i don’t think they were obligated to though, as in, it wouldn’t be mortal sin, if they chose not to go to a state-approved mass, and couldn’t find or get to an underground church.

i guess this is probably different now though since all the bishops are considered in communion with rome
 
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