Beijing will not respond to Pope's call to dialogue, Chinese bishops say
November 1, 2012: Chinese bishops think it unlikely that government officials there
will ever respond to the letter written by Pope Benedict XVI to the Church in China
in 2007.
Last week Cardinal Fernando Filoni, the prefect of the Congregation
for Evangelization, pointed out that 5 years have passed since the Pope wrote his
letter, and the Vatican is still waiting for a reply from Beijing. But such a reply
is probably not forthcoming, Chinese bishops told the UCANews service.
One
Chinese bishop—who spoke on condition of anonymity, but was described by UCAN as a
prelate recognized by both the Holy See and the Chinese government—said that government
officials are not motivated to find common ground with the Catholic Church. “They
never want to have sincere dialogue,” he said.