Vatican City, Nov 17, 2009 / 12:17 pm
On Monday the Vatican made public its continued efforts to promote reconciliation within the Chinese Catholic community as well as between the Church and the Chinese government.
In a letter written by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone to the clergy in China, the Vatican noted the celebration of the Year for Priests and addressed some of the issues that the Catholic Church in China is facing.
Recalling Pope Benedict's 2007 Letter to the Church in China, Cardinal Bertone referenced the “guidelines” that were indicated for the future of the Church in China, saying that “among those I wish to emphasize (are) reconciliation within the Catholic community and a respectful and constructive dialogue with the civil authorities, without renouncing the principles of the Catholic faith.”
The Catholic Church in China has faced many difficulties in recent years, including divisions within the Church caused in large part by persecution from the Chinese Communist government.