Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BEIJING723
2007-01-30 12:22:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Beijing
Cable title:  

CPA'S LIU BAINIAN SAYS CHINA HAS TRIED TO EASE

Tags:  PHUM KIRF PREL PGOV CH VT 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO2391
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #0723/01 0301222
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 301222Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4333
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN PRIORITY 0082
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000723 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DRL, EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2032
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PREL PGOV CH VT
SUBJECT: CPA'S LIU BAINIAN SAYS CHINA HAS TRIED TO EASE
TENSIONS WITH VATICAN, BUT ORDINATIONS WILL CONTINUE


BEIJING 00000723 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Classified by Political Internal Unit Chief Susan
Thornton. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).

Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000723

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR DRL, EAP/CM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2032
TAGS: PHUM KIRF PREL PGOV CH VT
SUBJECT: CPA'S LIU BAINIAN SAYS CHINA HAS TRIED TO EASE
TENSIONS WITH VATICAN, BUT ORDINATIONS WILL CONTINUE


BEIJING 00000723 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Classified by Political Internal Unit Chief Susan
Thornton. Reasons 1.4 (b/d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Vice-Chairman of the Catholic Patriotic
Association (CPA) Liu Bainian said China sought to
ease tensions with the Vatican in the lead-up to Gan
Junqiu's ordination as bishop of Guangzhou Diocese.
Liu says China informed the Vatican of the pending
nomination and has postponed appointment of other
bishops. Liu blamed recent strains in the Sino-
Vatican relationship on "third parties in Hong Kong
and Taiwan" and downplayed the Chinese Government's
role in bishop appointments. Stating that he could not
comment on the Vatican's announcement that it will
establish a commission to handle Chinese affairs, Liu
said he hopes the Vatican will take constructive
steps in this area, but said the Chinese Catholic
church must continue ordaining bishops in order to
serve the Catholic faithful in China. Poloff urged
the CPA to coordinate with the Vatican on future
ordinations. End summary.

Coordinating Appointments with the Vatican
--------------


2. (C) CPA Vice-Chairman Liu Bainian told poloff
January 24 that China has worked hard to improve
relations with the Vatican. Guangzhou Diocese, which
has been without a bishop since May 2001, began
considering a new appointment in 2004 or 2005.
Priests and nuns from Guangzhou Diocese selected Gan
Junqiu for nomination as bishop in October 2006 and
subsequently reported this to the Chinese Catholic
Bishops' College for study and review. After the
Bishops' College began reviewing Gan, priests in
Guangzhou acting with the Chinese Government's
knowledge, informed the Vatican of the pending
nomination to give the Vatican an opportunity to
approve it. Following a separate review, the Vatican
approved. So long as the Chinese Catholic Bishops'
College also approves, church officials will move

forward with ordination.


3. (C) Liu also said China has postponed appointments
in some of the other forty Chinese dioceses currently
lacking bishops, to give the Vatican time to approve.
Rome's refusal to approve bishops in the past, Liu
said, has sometimes made it necessary for China to
move ahead on appointments to serve the Catholic
faithful. However, China is now delaying the
ordination of some bishops approved by "the Chinese
side," to give the Vatican more time. Liu said the
Chinese Government's limited knowledge of Catholicism
has complicated efforts by Chinese Catholics seeking
to communicate with the Vatican about the appointment
of bishops or take other steps to ease tensions
between China and the Vatican.


4. (C) Liu blamed recent strains in the relationship
between China and the Vatican on "third parties,
especially in Hong Kong and Taiwan." Liu downplayed
the role of the Chinese Government in selecting
bishops, saying that the Government simply requires
that "nominated bishops are not against the
Government." The core qualifications, he maintained,
are religiously-based and imposed by the church: a
qualified nominee must (a) be devout; (b) have
expertise in Catholic theology; (c) be over 35 years
old; and have served as a priest for at least 5 years.
Liu said there is no requirement that a candidate
belong to the Catholic Patriotic Association, only
that he "be respected by others" and "certainly not be
against the government."

New Vatican Commission
--------------


5. (C) Liu could not comment on the Vatican's recent
announcement that it will set up a permanent
commission to handle China affairs, since he is
unfamiliar with the details surrounding its creation.
Liu did say, however that the "composition" is key.
If people "who are against improving China-Vatican
relations" dominate the commission, it will play a
negative role. Liu said the commission should not

BEIJING 00000723 002.2 OF 002


include people who represent particular political
interests, such as Taiwan. He asserted that the
Vatican has dragged its feet on normalizing relations
with China "because Chen Shui-bian gives the Vatican
money." The Chinese Government, Liu said, is taking a
"wait and see" approach to the Vatican's newly formed
commission.


6. (C) Liu said he remains optimistic about the future
of Sino-Vatican relations. Both sides want to improve
relations, but advisors who dislike China because of
its political system have held sway over Pope
Benedict, he asserted. Liu said he hopes to assist
the spread of the Catholic faith in China but that, to
do this, Chinese Catholics must be "at one" with the
Pope. The Vatican should take the initiative to help
shape Chinese opinion more positively. Liu said he
hopes the letter the Pope plans to write to China will
"show love" towards the Chinese. If the Pope conveys
a "favorable impression" to the Chinese, more Chinese
will be receptive to Catholicism. If the Pope "fails"
in this, it will be more difficult to "spread the
faith in China."


7. (C) Whether or not relations improve, Liu said, the
Chinese Catholic church will be obliged to continue
ordaining bishops in order to meet the needs of
Chinese Catholic faithful. Poloff urged the CPA to
continue coordination with the Vatican in future
ordinations and to build positively on the recent
improvement in Sino-Vatican relations.
RANDT