austraLasia #2439
Heavenly Powers: Holy See Diplomacy towards China, and the
University of Tasmania, Hobart
HOBART: 14th June 2009 -- It was a refreshing change from
an earlier visit from the New Zealander looking for a certain body!
Instead, when a young, bright Italian called Fabrizio Bozzato turned up
at the Pisana a year or two back, and announced that he was pursuing an
M.A . in International Relations at the University of Tasmania, certain
ears pricked up immediately! Fabrizio already had a Grad. Dip. in
International Relations and a Masters in Political Science (Milan). He
was after a different body, it turned out - a 'body politic', and not
in Tasmania, nor in Italy for that matter. His chief interest was
to gain an introduction to key figures in Sino-Vatican relations,
especially if they were in Terra Sinica itself.
Fabrizio seemed already better connected than a
Calcutta Call centre, but he went away with a couple of letters that
could help him, and it seems that he has made good use of them.
In his recently completed thesis, 'Heavenly Powers: Holy See Diplomacy
towards China", Fabrizio offers profuse thanks to Cardinals Bertone and
Zen, and special thanks to the Salesians in Hong Kong and Taipei, who
have been his 'family' while in those parts and to many other
ecclesiastics, and lay experts who have helped him along the way.
What does the Thesis attempt to do?
Chapter 1 focuses on the twofold role of the Holy
See as the supreme Government of the Roman Catholic Church, and subject
of international law, thus participating in the international system as
a sovereign, independent, organised entity.
Chapter 2 traverses the history of relations between
the Catholic Church and China from the 13th century onwards.
Chapter 3 analyses the last decade of
Sino-Pontifical interaction marked by the Holy See's firm determination
to improve relations even in the face of ambivalent response.
Chapter 4 analyses Benedict XVI's letter to Chinese
Catholics
Chapter 5 investigates the first of the two main
factors that appear to frustrate the Holy See's efforts toward
diplomatic normalisation with the PRC: the rivalry between two factions
that attempt to shape China's relationships with the Holy See. One
factor is 'idealist' the other 'realist' and they involve not just
clergy but journalists, academics and politicians.
Chapter 6 is devoted to the major exogenous
(external to the Church) cause of the diplomatic impasse: conflict of
authority between Catholic Church and Chinese State.
Chapter 7 analyses the main problems the two parties
have in normalising their relations: issues like perceived
'interference' of the Holy See in China's internal affairs, and the
Holy See's relations with Taipei.
Chapter 8 concludes the analysis of problematic
relations, suggesting two possible models followed earlier by China,
one with Soviet Russia the other with Vietnam.
The thesis concludes on a note of eternal optimism:
noting first that "flexibility in tradition is the very engine of
change in both the Catholic Church and the Communist Party in China
(CPC)", Fabrizio concludes that the two parties could use their mastery
of the art of 'changing without changing' to reach mutually
advantageous agreement. But the two parties have one other common
feature: patience! "As Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, the principal
architect of the Pontifical Ostpolitik once said: 'China's
patience lasts a thousand years, but the Church's patience is eternal'
".
_________________
AustraLasia is an
email
service
for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions
as an
agency for ANS based in
Rome.
For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com
.
Use Bosconet-wiki
to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on
austraLasia
2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser
address bar - add it from there. Avail yourself of the Salesian
Digital
Library
at http://sdl.sdb.org
Title: australasia 2439
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces: China Sino-Holy See relations.
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2439
