Interview with the “ex-clandestine” Bishop of Lanzhou. Until now unrecognized by the Chinese authorities, he has taken office with legitimacy.
Lanzhou is one of the world’s most polluted cities. And Joseph Han Zhi-hai has been its Catholic bishop for 14 years: ordained in 2003 with papal nomination but without governmental recognition. Yet, for some days now, his status as successor to the apostles has also been certified by the government. In the exclusive interview with Vatican Insider, he explains the reasons for him asking for government recognition of his episcopate. The official inauguration ceremony took place on November 10 in the cathedral of Lanzhou, dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The bishops who took part in the rite were all in full and declared communion with the Pope. And the same happened in the official inauguration ceremony of the bishop of Handan, Joseph Sun Jigen, ordained in 2011 with the apostolic mandate received from the Holy See and who has also been recognized by the Beijing government.
Giuseppe Han was born in 1966, in the heart of the Cultural Revolution. He said that in those years, his family members were kept in faith by simply praying at home, in the depths of their heart. And he recalled that his vocation blossomed when he looked at Father Philip, the priest - later bishop of Lanzhou - who in 1978, when he was freed after thirty years of imprisonment and isolation, the minute he tasted freedom, without even a complaint, immediately begun to announce the Gospel, in small villages and countryside.
Was it you who asked the government to recognize you as a bishop?
Yes, I was the one who asked to be recognized as bishop by the government. Already in 2003 I had begun to hope that the government would officially recognize the role I play by virtue of episcopal ordination.
Why?
The reasons are obvious: without the Government’s recognition, it is more complicated to carry forward the diocese and help the emerging local Church. This official recognition makes us freer to devote our energies with less restraints to proclaiming the Gospel. There are so many priests and nuns who want to carry out their mission, and in China, if you don’t have the recognition of government, everything, even the simplest things become more complicated, .
To be recognized now means to accept the role of the Patriotic Association and other bodies that control the life of the Church.
Yes. But now in the Church there are more and more young people who do not pay too much attention to these things. They have little interest in what the Patriotic Association does. They care about being able to walk and grow in faith, and to be able to express their faith without hiding.
When did you ask for recognition by the government? What was the procedure?
In 2003 the diocesan priests were less in number than now. We had already talked about it at that time, and everyone was prepared to overcome the objections and register in the bodies the government wanted. This intention had become even stronger after reading the Letter of Pope Benedict XVI to Chinese Catholics. I and the priests were ready to start a dialogue with the government and to accept its management of religious politics.
Why didn’t it happen at the time?
In the following years, some people from outside China raised their voices, they said that those who sought legitimacy from the government through patriotic bodies were not good Catholics, and presented their interpretation on the matter as the only legitimate one. So, in those years, everything changed, and got stuck. Then the case of Taddeo Ma Daqin happened, the bishop of Shanghai who was retired in Sheshan after he had declared his intention to leave the Patriotic Association. So many priests of my diocese said: we are confused, we no longer understand what is happening, maybe it is better to wait.
And then?
In 2013, there was another moment in which I thought it was a good time to be recognized by the government. But new problems arose. We missed another opportunity. Then, this year, those of the government once again suggested that I consider the possibility of being recognized as official bishop. They told me: if you have the support of the priests, if the priests are with you, we are ready to recognize you.
So, from now on you will work with the Patriotic Association and government religious policy?
It must be said that in our diocese several priests already had contacts with the Patriotic Association and other bodies. It has been a gradual process. The words of the government’s religious policy are “religious freedom” and “autonomy, independence”. This independence from external command, required from all religious communities, has only a political sense: for the government, the important thing is that religious are included in the Chinese political framework. They are concerned with national security and stability. And we must always keep in mind that in China there are not only Catholics, but also other religions. And certain rules apply to everyone.
Is your choice shared by all in the diocese?
The diocese as a whole is united. Some priests and some faithful have a different opinion, but this diversity does not challenge our communion of faith. Perhaps in recent years I have also neglected them and have my responsibilities towards them. But some of them seem to be driven by jealousy. However, our greatest concern is to preserve and foster communion among us. We try to do so in every way possible. That is precisely why we want China and the Holy See to reach an agreement: so that we can all walk together, united with the Pope.
In your diocese, what do you expect from the contacts between China and the Holy See?
If the Holy See continues to show signs of sympathy and non-hostility towards China, it will speed up the solution of certain problems.
Now how will your communion with the Pope manifest itself?
I have always been in full communion with the Pope. And I believe that all the bishops in China live or want to live in full communion with the Pope. Being part of the Catholic Church involves precisely this. This communion must manifest itself in what is the practical, concrete situation of each country. We must carry out our mission in our own country just as it is .
Already in 2003, as soon as you were ordained “clandestine” bishop, i.e. not recognized by the government, you wrote an open letter inviting all Chinese bishops to overcome the lacerations and confess their communion with the Pope.
What is the situation now?
We continue to pray for this. As I have already said, if there is no unity, there is no path of faith. The Devil “he who divides” is at work when brothers are divided. Now we can move forward, as Pope Francis invites us to always do, He who as Pope also recognizes and embraces Chinese culture. If we go forward, following Jesus, tomorrow will come soon”.
