NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Catholicism in China

Catholicism in China has a long and complicated history. Christianity has existed in China in various forms since at least the Tang Dynasty in the eight century AD (For a full account of the history of Christianity in China up to contemporary times, see Christianity in China). Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament writings of his early followers. ... The Tang Dynasty (å”æœ pinyin: tÃ¡ngchÃ¡o) (June 18, 618 â€“ June 4, 907) followed the Sui Dynasty and preceded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period in China. ... Christianity in China has developed since at least the 7th century AD. Some consider the first entry of the Christian religion into China to be the introduction of Nestorianism around 635. ...

1 Early History
2 Post-Reformation
3 Contemporary History
- 3.1 Hong Kong and Macao
- 3.2 Diplomatic relations with the Vatican
4 Chinese terms for God and Christianity
5 See also
6 Further Reading

Early History

Catholic missionary priests from Europe are first recorded to have entered China in the 13th century. They had some success during the Mongol regime of the Yuan Dynasty but their influence gradually faded. A missionary is a propagator of religion, often an evangelist or other representative of a religious community who works among those outside of that community. ... Roman Catholic priest A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... World map showing location of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... Honorary guard of Mongolia. ... The Yuan Dynasty (Mongolian: Dai Ã–n Yeke Mongghul Ulus; Chinese: å¤§å…ƒå¤§è’™å¤å¸å›½) lasting officially from 1271 to 1368, also called the Mongol Dynasty, was the name given to the significant ruling family of Borjigin in Asia. ...

Post-Reformation

During the post-Reformation explosion of Catholic missionary efforts around the world, particularly in Asia, Jesuit missionaries attempted to enter China. They had mixed success at first, but eventually came to have a strong impact, particularly in inter-cultural scientific and artistic exchanges among the upper classes of China and the imperial court. (See Jesuit China missions for details) The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... The first Jesuit attempt to reach China was made in 1552 by Francis Xavier, but he died the same year on the Chinese island of Shangchuan, without having reached the mainland. ...

Contemporary History

Since 1949, following the establishment of the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Communist Party, the status of Catholicism as a institution in Chinese society has been highly ambiguous. The Chinese government maintains that Chinese citizens' activities must not face interference or influence by external powers and demands that all Chinese "Catholics" must be loyal to the State. All worship must legally be conducted through State-approved churches, and though the CCP is a secular organisationm it also reserves the right to appoint priests. Communist Party of China flag The Communist Party of China (Simplified Chinese: 中国共产党; Traditional Chinese: 中國共産黨; pinyin: Zhōnggu ngchǎndǎng) is the ruling party of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

The problem is that Beijing does not differentiate between temporal and spiritual loyalty. A Catholic can be loyal to his/her own government, while still listen to the Pope's teachings on religion. Indeed a true Catholic must have ties with the Vatican, or else they are not really Catholic. This puts Chinese Catholics in a dilemma - they must either sever ties with Rome or worship in underground churches. Those who maintain links with Rome are subject to persecution and legal prosecution. Priests especially are targetted to try to destroy the underground church.

Hong Kong and Macao

Donald Tsang, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong is a Catholic. Donald Tsang Yam Kuen GBM JP KBE (Chinese: æ›¾è”æ¬Š, born 1944) is currently the Chief Executive of Hong Kong and former career civil servant. ...

Pope John Paul II was denied a visit (deemed "inappropriate") to Hong Kong in 1999, a decision many believe was made under pressure from the central PRC government. Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol JÃ³zef WojtyÅ‚a (May 18, 1920 â€“ April 2, 2005), reigned as pope of the Catholic Church for almost 27 years, from 16 October 1978 until his death, making his the third-longest reign in the history of the Papacy according to the...

Diplomatic relations with the Vatican

The issue of Sino-Vatican relations has been a highly contentious one and often difficult for both sides (see below). The Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association is the sole approved Catholic organization for Chinese Catholics (except for those in Hong Kong and Macau, who recognise the Vatican). The Holy See is the legal body that conducts diplomatic relations for the Vatican City. ... The Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (ä¸å›½å¤©ä¸»æ•™çˆ±å›½ä¼š; designated variously as CPA, CPCA, or CCPA) is the organizational body of Catholics in China as officially recognized by the government of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

Chinese terms for God and Christianity

The Chinese language typically divides Christians into two groups, believers of Jidu jiao, Protestantism, and Tianzhu jiao, Catholicism. The terms originate with different terms for God used in Chinese. The Catholic church historically favored Tianzhu (literally, Lord of Heaven) over Shangdi (literally, Sovereign Above), an alternate term used more commonly by Protestants. The current term for the Protestant denomination refers to the Mandarin Chinese translation of Christ, Jidu. (For full coverage see Chinese terms for God) Chinese terms for God have, since the introduction of Christianity to China, proved a point of contention for Chinese Christians and non-Chinese Christians in China, especially missionaries. ...

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