SHANGHAI BISHOP JIN ON CHINA-VATICAN RELATIONS, SHESHAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SHANGHAI 000259

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/8/2018
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PTER KIRF CH VT TW
SUBJECT: SHANGHAI BISHOP JIN ON CHINA-VATICAN RELATIONS, SHESHAN
PILGRIMAGE

REF: 2007 SHANGHAI 806 AND PREVIOUS

CLASSIFIED BY: Christopher Beede, Political/Economic Section
Chief, U.S. Consulate , Shanghai .
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. (C) Summary. In a July 7 meeting with Pol/Econ Section Chief
and Poloffs, Shanghai Bishop Aloysius Luxin Jin continued to be
pessimistic about prospects for normalization of relations
between the Vatican and Beijing. He also confirmed that Beijing
had taken measures to keep the annual pilgrimage to the Marian
Shrine of Sheshan small allegedly because of fears that the
event could be a target for terrorists. Bishop Jin is slowly
recovering from a cold that left him without a voice for two
months, but he is in good spirits and showed mental acuity. End
Summary.

Recovering From A Cold
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2. (C) Pol/Econ Section Chief and Poloffs called on Shanghai
Bishop Aloysius Luxin Jin on July 7 to check on his health and
get his views on the Catholic Church in China. Bishop Jin has
been unwell for the past few months and, according to his
assistant, has been suffering from a cold that affected his
throat. Speaking in a whisper, Bishop Jin said he was not able
to speak for two months. Despite this he was feeling well
enough to receive visitors in his private office.

No Normalization in the Near Term
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3. (C) Bishop Jin remains pessimistic that the Vatican and
Beijing can normalize relations in the near future. Beijing
refuses to give up its control over the appointment of bishops,
characterizing central authorities as "stupid." He said that in
June 2008 the Vatican published a list of the bishops in China
that are in communion with the Pope that showed that the
majority of bishops in China are loyal to the Vatican. Only 10
mainland bishops are not on the list and, of those ten, the
Vatican is considering recognizing four. Bishop Jin did not
think that Taiwan is a major issue in Mainland-Vatican
relations. Bishops in Taiwan are very close to the Taiwan
authorities, but this issue will not prevent normalization which
should eventually occur in the future, just not very soon.


4. (C) Bishop Jin believes that progress on normalization will
be even slower after the Beijing Summer Olympics. For the past
year, the Chinese Government has actively pursued normalization
because of the pressure brought on by the Olympic games. Once
the Beijing Games conclude, pressure will subside and
normalization will likely take many years. Bishop Jin added
that there will likely not be any normalization as long as State
Administration for Religious Affairs Director Ye Xiaowen remains
in power.

Marian Shrine Pilgrims Restricted
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5. (C) Bishop Jin confirmed that the Central Government placed
restrictions on the number of pilgrims allowed to visit the
Marian Shrine in Sheshan. Every May thousands of Catholics
travel to Sheshan (a suburb of Shanghai) to visit the Marian
Shrine and cathedral. In his June 2007 letter to Catholics in
China, the Pope called on Catholics to pray at the Shrine on May

24. Bishop Jin said that last year in May there were more than
80,000 visitors to the shrine and that he was expecting 200,000
visitors this year. However, because of the restrictions there
were less than 30,000 visitors this May. Since the March 2008
protests in Tibet, the Chinese Government has expressed concern
that Beijing and Shanghai would be targeted for a terrorist
attack. Therefore the Central Government wanted to keep the
number of visitors to the shrine small to make the shrine a less
attractive target for terrorists, said Bishop Jin. He also
noted that the Pope's June 2007 letter to Chinese Catholics had
played a role in Beijing's decision to keep the number of
pilgrims small, but did not elaborate on this point.

Still Active

SHANGHAI 00000259 002 OF 002


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6. (C) Although his voice was weak and he walked slowly into
the meeting, the nonagenarian Bishop Jin still appears to be
mentally active. He apparently follows the U.S. presidential
election and expressed his disappointment that Senator Hillary
Clinton had lost the Democratic nomination. Bishop Jin recalled
that he sat next to the then First Lady when President Clinton
visited Shanghai and was impressed by her strength and tenacity.
He still holds out hope that there will be a female U.S.
President in four years, while very interestedly watching to see
which Presidential candidate will win this autumn's election.
JARRETT