Word: vaticaners
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China has opened itself up to the world since then, but wariness about the Vatican persists. The latest episode in the stormy relationship unfolded last week, when the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA), the state-controlled church to which 4 million Chinese Catholics belong, ordained two new bishops without the Vatican's permission. Considering that Rome has claimed absolute authority over clerical appointments for almost two millenniums, its reaction to the news was predictably swift. Vatican spokesman Joaquín Navarro-Valls said that Pope Benedict XVI learned of the appointments with "great sadness." That may have been the understatement...
...surprising, given their common penchant for intrigue and suspicion, that the rulers of China and the Roman Catholic Church have had a hard time getting along. Beginning five centuries ago, emissaries from the Vatican visited Beijing to seek permission to conduct missionary work in China. During the Qing dynasty they built iron globes and trellises for the Emperor--astronomical instruments that at the time were considered cutting-edge technology. That approach didn't work: a later Emperor banned all Christian missionary activity, sending the clerics packing. He kept the Vatican's gifts, however, on a tower overlooking the thick stone...
...time for China's Catholics. Since the Communist takeover in 1949, all Catholics have had to join the state-sanctioned CPCA or face persecution. Out of the estimated 12 million Catholics in the country, a majority are thought to worship at secret underground churches that are loyal to the Vatican. Since his elevation to the papacy, Benedict has sought to repair ties so that those faithful can practice in the open. The goal was full diplomatic relations and possibly even a papal visit to China by 2008, when Beijing will be host of the Olympics. In recent years, says Father...
...fast. Vatican sources say the church's position has not changed--and will not change soon. Officials flatly dismiss reports that the Vatican is about to publish a document that will condone any condom use--even when one spouse has HIV. And Barragán backtracked, saying his office was producing only an internal "study" of the issue. "This is something that has been studied for years," a well-placed Vatican source told TIME. "But there's no sign at all that a document is set to come out." The official didn't rule out a possible policy tweak...
This episode seems mostly to reflect wishful thinking by church progressives. "Let's not forget that Martini's camp was essentially the loser in last year's conclave," a Vatican official says. The conservatives won, and contraception does not seem to be high on Pope Benedict XVI's agenda. In late November, he listed several ways to combat the spread of HIV, including chastity, fidelity in marriage and antipoverty efforts. He did not mention condoms...