The RC position on problems in Tibet.

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Jacafamala

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Question: What’s the Vatican’s view on the riots in Tibet? Has the Vatican come out with any official statement? I’m sure the Vatican doesn’t support the Chinese Government, but have they come out (officially), against China’s actions in support of the protestors?
 
Jacafamala said:
Question: What’s the Vatican’s view on the riots in Tibet? Has the Vatican come out with any official statement? I’m sure the Vatican doesn’t support the Chinese Government, but have they come out (officially), against China’s actions in support of the protestors?
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The Church has a difficult enough time with Chinese persecution of Catholics loyal to Rome. The Chinese have ‘nationalised’ the Chinese Catholic Church, or at least tried to. So the Chinese gevernment see itself as the Appointee of new bishops etc.

The Church is treading very carefully to protect true Catholics from further abuse and long-term imprisonment. But we the laity have enormous power to protest.
 
As an activist on behalf of the Tibetan people, I, too, would like to know.

However, I suspect the position of Rome now is the same as it was during Pius XII’s time: to be outwardly silent, but work behind the scenes.

In Pius XII’s time, there were many Catholics who would have been rounded up and killed if that Pope had spoken out too forcefully in defense of the Jews. This may be why, in his Papal encyclical, Mit Brennender Sorge, he criticized what the Nazis were doing, but did not name the Jews as the victims (though everyone knew that’s what he meant, I’m sure.)

Similarly, this Pope has the Catholics in China to also worry about, and he may be afraid that if he speaks out too forcefully, he will endanger the underground Catholic church in China.

Personally, I don’t really think him speaking out will accomplish anything. The mainland Chinese are Communistic atheists, and don’t care what the Pope says. And, it would only jeopardize the underground Catholics there.

I think it would have accomplished more if Pius XII had spoken out, since many of the Nazis had been Catholic, and perhaps a condemnation from him would had had some impact then.
 
HashemEchad said:
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I think it would have accomplished more if Pius XII had spoken out, since many of the Nazis had been Catholic, and perhaps a condemnation from him would had had some impact then.
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Note that the Dutch bishops did speak out. All Catholics of Jewish ancestry, including Edith Stein, were immediately rounded up and sent to the extermination camps. That may have given Pope Pius an inkling of what the result of a strong public statement by him would accomplish.
 
Do not forget that Rome as a BIG history of speaking out in general against human rights violations. We tend to be one of the most consistant ones.
 
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