CODEL PELOSI'S MEETING WITH SHANGHAI CATHOLIC BISHOP JIN,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 SHANGHAI 000231

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SUBJECT: CODEL PELOSI'S MEETING WITH SHANGHAI CATHOLIC BISHOP JIN,
MAY 24, 2009


1. (U) Summary. Shanghai Catholic Bishop Jin welcomed Speaker
Pelosi and her delegation in their first meeting following
arrival in China on May 24, and proclaimed himself to be
satisfied with the degree of religious freedom now existing in
China. He praised President Obama's May commencement speech at
Notre Dame for its open-mindedness and asked that his best
wishes and a book about the Diocese of Shanghai be presented to
the President. Despite technological advances hastening
transportation and communication, prejudice, misunderstanding
and media manipulation can keep people distant from each other,
the Bishop cautioned. The Diocese of Shanghai operates a
publishing house and social welfare center, and has built
primary schools in rural areas and contributed to Sichuan
earthquake reconstruction areas. Two seminaries in the diocese
have formed more than 400 young priests. The Pope's 2007 letter
to the Catholic Church in China had been widely embraced, though
not by all in the underground Catholic Church in China. Faith
sustained the Bishop through 27 years of imprisonment. The
Bishop expressed great admiration for the American people and
for the Catholic Church in the United States which has so
generously assisted the Diocese of Shanghai. End summary.




2. (U) 93-year-old Bishop Aloysius Jin welcomed Speaker Pelosi
and delegation at an hour-long meeting in his quarters near St.
Ignatius Cathedral. He good-naturedly deflected a last-moment
attempt by the Shanghai Religious Affairs Bureau to reverse
earlier plans and conduct the meeting in Mandarin, noting that
as a native of Shanghai's Pudong, his `Putonghua' (national
Mandarin dialect) was actually a `Pudong hua' that would be very
difficult to understand and interpret. Recalling that his first
trip to Europe in his youth took 33 days by ship one-way, he
noted that modern technological advances had lessened the time
required to travel great lengths to mere hours, as the Speaker
and her delegation had just demonstrated in their travel from
Washington to Shanghai. He cautioned, however, that the
distances of separation between persons that arise from
misunderstanding, prejudice or even manipulation of mass media
still remain quite long. He encouraged the Speaker and
delegation to look at China firsthand.




3. (U) The Bishop noted that he was born in 1916 and entered
the Jesuits in 1938. Ordained in 1945, he went to Europe for
further study in 1946, eventually receiving a doctorate degree
in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. He returned
to China in 1951. Omitting reference to his long imprisonment,
the Bishop explained that he was ordained Bishop of Shanghai in
1984 without the concurrence of the Pope. (Note: The Patriotic
Catholic Association established under Communist rule to
self-govern Catholics in China has selected bishops, a power
reserved to the Pope in the Roman Catholic Church. End note.)
However, when visiting Boston in 1994 and staying at Cardinal
Law's residence, Pope John Paul II sent a prefect from Rome who
spoke with the Bishop at Cardinal Law's residence for two days,
after which the Pope granted his recognition of Bishop Jin as
the Roman Catholic Bishop of Shanghai. Pope John Paul II also
sent a Cardinal to meet with Bishop Jin in Munich during his
1996 visit there to discuss selection of Bishop Jin's successor.
Presenting a bilingual book, `Catholic Shanghai Diocese,' to
the Speaker and delegation, Bishop Jin pointed out that the
first photo in the front of the book is one of Pope Benedict,
another sign that the Diocese of Shanghai is in full communion
with the Holy See. Cardinal Wetter from Munich had relayed
greetings from Pope Benedict when visiting Shanghai in 2008.




4. (U) Bishop Jin expressed great admiration for the United
States and American people, recalling fondly his eight visits to
the United States. Teachers from the California Province of the
Jesuits had played important roles in his religious education,
and he had read widely about the history of the Catholic Church
in the United States. In his several trips to the United
States, he had had opportunity to visit many Catholic
universities, and recited a long list of specifically Jesuit
stateside universities he had visited, including Loyola in
Chicago, Fordham, Boston College, Georgetown, Gonzaga and the

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University of San Francisco. He expressed admiration for former
Baltimore Archbishop Gibbons and noted that he had visited
Cardinal Keeler in Baltimore.

President Obama at Notre Dame.




5. (U) Bishop Jin added that because of heart disease, he is
unable to travel anymore. Indeed, he said, as a 93-year-old,
his remaining time in this life is very short. His successor
has already been identified: Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Xing (Xing
Wenzhi),appointed by the Pope in 2005. Bishop Jin repeated his
welcome to the Speaker and delegation and urged them to visit
China again. He concluded his opening remarks by saying he had
followed President Obama's speech at Notre Dame's commencement
one week earlier with considerable interest and approval.
President Obama's speech was wonderful and the President a very
open-minded man. He asked that the Speaker relay his warm
regards and admiration, and a copy of `Catholic Shanghai
Diocese,' to the President. The Bishop added that he counted
former Notre Dame president Father Hesburgh among his friends,
having met him in 1986 and having translated his book, `God,
Country and Notre Dame,' into Chinese.




6. (U) Speaker Pelosi expressed her thanks for the Bishop's
welcome, said she would pass the book to President Obama and
introduced her delegation. The delegation was excited to visit
China and thanked National People's Congress Foreign Affairs
Committee Chairman (and former Ambassador to the United States
and former Minister of Foreign Affairs) Li Zhaoxing for inviting
the group to visit China. She welcomed Ambassador Li's presence
at the meeting and that of current Chinese Ambassador to the
United States Zhou Wenzhong. She congratulated Bishop Xing on
his elevation and selection to succeed Bishop Jin and welcomed
participation in the meeting by Shanghai Diocese Vicar General
Father Ai Zuzhang and the presence of . Noting she was a native
of Baltimore, she recalled that Archbishop Gibbons had been
regarded as a hero by her family, and said she would relay
Bishop Jin's warm words about Cardinal Keeler to the Cardinal.
She relayed Cardinal McCarrick's good wishes to Bishop Jin.
Bishop Jin said he had and Cardinal McCarrick had exchanged
visits, beginning when the latter was Bishop of Newark. Speaker
Pelosi noted Bishop Jin's path from ordination to elevation to
Bishop to recognition by Rome had encountered many obstacles and
invited his comments on that aspect of his life. The Bishop
demurred, saying the Speaker and Members in her delegation were
all very important people, it would be better to answer specific
questions rather than letting an old man tell his story. He
underscored that the delegation's call on him was a great honor
for the Diocese of Shanghai.




7. (U) The Speaker noted current press reports that Pope
Benedict plans a second letter to the Catholic Church in China,
following up on his letter of 2007. She also noted that May 24
-- the very day of this meeting with Bishop Jin -- had been
declared by the Pope as a day for all Catholics to pray for the
Catholic Church in China. Bishop Jin called this a happy
coincidence. The Pope's letter of two years ago was a wonderful
letter, clarifying that there is only one Catholic Church, the
Roman Catholic Church, in China, not two. That division had
arisen between the `official' Chinese Church and the underground
Catholic Church is a pity, the Bishop said. The Pope's 2007
letter encouraged reconciliation and mutual pardon by the two
Catholic factions. The Diocese of Shanghai received the Pope's
letter with enthusiasm and is adhering to the letter's
objectives. The Bishop expressed regret that some in the
underground Catholic Church had not given immediate support to
the Pope's letter. He suggested that some overseas persons
might not support reconciliation of the two factions. Even so,
today (May 24) the whole Catholic world is praying for the
Catholic Church in China. He noted that a nun in the diocese
has taken a group of visiting German Bishops to say Mass for a
large gathering at Sheshan (site of one of the diocese's
seminaries and home to a mountaintop cathedral; Sheshan is a
pilgrimage destination for Chinese Catholics in May).

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8. (U) Rep. James Sensenbrenner asked Bishop Jin's views on
religious freedom in China. The United States has always been
an advocate for religious freedom. Considering developments
over the last five years, did the Bishop find that he and the
Church are able to accomplish the Church's mission with fewer
restrictions than in the past? Bishop Jin replied that he is
very satisfied about the extent of religious freedom in China
today. His views are further explicated in the book passed to
delegation members, and the ability to publish such a book in
China, and to establish and operate two seminaries, are
excellent examples of the degree of free speech and freedom of
religion that the Catholic Church in China now holds. Over the
last 25 years, the Shanghai Diocese's two seminaries have formed
more than 400 young priests. He had been able to send his Vicar
General to Rome four years ago, where he met the Pope. The
diocese did not have sufficient financial ability to send
seminarians to Rome, though they would surely be thrilled if
they had opportunity to go there.




9. (U) Having heard the Bishop outline when he entered the
Jesuits in China and when he studied in Rome, Rep. Markey asked
whether Bishop Jin had ever met the Jesuit priest and scientist
Father Teilhard de Chardin. Bishop Jin replied yes, they had
met three times: in 1942, in Beijing; later in Shanghai, where
de Chardin gave a scientific lecture that Jin did not well
understand; and later again, in Paris. De Chardin had told Jin
that Jin was at least five years behind in his scientific
thinking, Jin said, but had treated him kindly, warmly,
encouragingly. Rome also did not understand de Chardin, Bishop
Jin continued, and sadly he was `exiled' to New York. There he
died on an Easter Sunday, and only ten persons went to graveside
for his interment.




10. (U) Rep. Markey followed up, asking the Bishop to outline
his dream for Catholicism in China. In the long run, Bishop Jin
replied, I am very optimistic, but in the short-term, I must be
realistic. The numbers of Catholic believers in Shanghai and in
China are growing very slowly. Prior to 1949, more than 3
million persons in China were Catholics. Today there are very
few, a small minority in Shanghai despite Catholicism's arrival
here just over four hundred years ago. Only God knows the
number of Catholics in China today, with the Chinese Government
putting the number at six million, Hong Kong experts estimating
the number at 10 million, and some in the United States
estimating the number as high as 14 million. In contrast,
Protestants, who numbered about 700,000 when the Communists came
to power in 1949, now number about 30 million (Chinese
Government estimate). Catholicism is much behind the
Protestants. But the atmosphere for gaining religious adherents
in China now is very favorable. Young people very much wish to
learn about the West, including about religion and especially
about Christianity. Protestants and Catholics are brothers and
sisters, the Bishop emphasized. He expressed approval for the
ecumenical movement, and wondered whether bishops might be
responsible for the low number of Chinese Catholics today.




11. (U) Rep. Blumenauer asked about Shanghai Diocese projects,
such as renovation of St. Ignatius Cathedral. Bishop Jin
replied that the diocese has 146 churches and two seminaries
now. A diocesan publishing house has published more than 400
titles already, while a Catholic Social Work Center has been
established to implement charitable activities for Caritas, the
Catholic relief, development and social service organization.
The diocese has built about ten primary schools in rural areas,
and has contributed to relief work in Sichuan Province following
the devastating May 12, 2008 earthquake there. The publishing
house, with the donation of paper arranged by the Protestant
United Bible Society, had printed one million copies of the New
Testament in modern Chinese (a translation prepared by the
Bishop himself, he said) and distributed these to poorer
dioceses. Coming back to his ecumenical theme, he noted that

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the Presbyterian Church had provided scholarships for Chinese
Catholic nuns to study in England and Scotland, showing that all
Christians are brothers and sisters. The Bishop also gratefully
acknowledged assistance received from Jesuits in the United
States.




12. (U) Rep. Jackie Speier recalled from reading about Bishop
Jin that he had been described as having entered prison as a
young man and having emerged as an old man. What kept him going
through his long years of imprisonment? Bishop Jin explained
that he had been arrested in 1955, and through the years moved
through a series of prisons, in Shanghai, Beijing, Hebei
Province, and Henan Province. All told, he was confined for 27
years, 18 in prison and 9 in labor camps. He very thankfully
credited the reforms launched by Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s
as having led to his release from prison (in 1982),otherwise he
would still be in prison - or already in heaven. While in jail,
he had no physical freedom, but his mind was free. He could
frequently pray in silence to God, recite the entire Mass
silently, and say the Rosary. Because of his faith, he was not
unhappy in prison. Now outside of prison, he finds himself very
busy. Despite his age, he is still serving as Bishop. He has
less time to pray to God now, a cause for regret. He described
himself as one not born for administrative work, that his true
calling was more likely to teach theology.




13. (U) In closing, Speaker Pelosi said Bishop Jin inspired
her delegation and honored them by meeting with them. She
reiterated that she would convey the Bishop's good wishes and
book to the President, as well as conveying his greetings to
Cardinals McCarrick and Keeler. On behalf of her delegation,
she presented U.S. Capitol bookends to the Bishop, which he
accepted with thanks. Bishop Jin reiterated his praise for the
American people and for the Catholic Church in America,
admiringly noting how the numbers of American Catholics had
grown from such a small number at the founding of the United
States to about 70 million at present. Catholics remain a small
minority in Shanghai more than 400 years after Catholicism
reached the city. The Catholic Church in the United States -
Jesuits, Maryknolls and others, have been very generous to the
Diocese of Shanghai. A new era, one of hope for all, has dawned
for the United States and the whole world, the Bishop concluded.




14. (U) U.S. Participants



Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Mr. Paul Pelosi

Rep. Edward Markey and Dr. Susan Blumenthal

Rep. James Sensenbrenner and Mrs. Cheryl Sensenbrenner

Rep. Earl Blumenauer and son Jon Blumenauer

Rep. Jackie Speier

Acting United States Consul General in Shanghai Simon Schuchat

Professional Staff Members to the Speaker and Representatives

Christopher Beede, Consulate Political and Economic Section
Chief (note taker)

Fu Helei, Consulate Senior Political Assistant

Fei Yuying, Consulate Interpreter




15. (U) Chinese Participants




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The Most Reverend Aloysius JIN Luxian, Bishop of Shanghai

Ambassador LI Zhaoxing, Chairman of National People's Congress
Foreign Affairs Committee

Ambassador ZHOU Wenzhong, Chinese Ambassador to the United
States

HU Wei, Vice Chairman of Shanghai MPC Standing Committee

The Most Reverend Joseph XING Wenzhi, Auxiliary Bishop of
Shanghai

The Most Reverend AI Zuzhang, Vicar General of the Diocese of
Shanghai

Mr. PENG Fang, Foreign Affairs Office, National People's
Congress

Other officials from the Diocese of Shanghai, Shanghai Municipal
People's Congress, National People's Congress and the Shanghai
Religious Affairs Bureau




16. (U) Speaker Pelosi's staff have cleared this report.
SCHUCHAT