A senior Chinese administrator has told the official news agency that China is willing to hold constructive dialogue with the Vatican in a bid to find a way to bridge the ideological gap between the two states, expand any consensus already made and to generally improve bilateral relations.
Wang Zuo'an, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, made the remarks at a national conference of the Catholic Church in China, which was reported by Xinhua news agency.
"The stance of the Chinese government on China-Vatican relations is consistent and clear," Wang said.
Wang expressed hope that Vatican can adopt a flexible and pragmatic attitude as well as take concrete actions to create favourable conditions for improving relations.
Progress in improving the relationship between the Vatican and China has been hit and miss as both sides have struggled to reach compromise on their core beliefs which for the Vatican includes the right to choose its bishops, while for China they include the fundamental hostility to religion imbedded in the ideology of Communism.
Earlier this month the Vatican moved swiftly to excommunicate a Chinese Catholic bishop who had participated in the ordination of a bishop in China because the new bishop did not have a mandate from the Holy See.
The ordination of Bishop Joseph Tang Yuange for Chengdu Diocese on 30 November at the cathedral in the southwestern city of Chengdu was carried out with the approval of the Vatican as well as that of the Chinese Government.
Most bishops who took part in the ceremony were also recognised by both Rome and Beijing. However one, Bishop Lei Shiyin of Leshan, was ordained in 2011 without a Vatican mandate and therefore was automatically excommunicated. Some Catholics attending the ceremony protested over the involvement of Bishop Lei, complaining about the Vatican’s “kowtow diplomacy” towards Beijing.
In October, Pope Francis became the first Pope to have a public meeting with a bishop from mainland China when he received Bishop Joseph Xu Honggen of Suzhou after a Wednesday General Audience in St Peter’s Square.
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