【天主教在线讯】据中共中央机关报《人民日报》旗下《环球时报》英文版的报道，教宗在圣诞文告中批评中国限制宗教自由，《环球时报》撰文予以反驳，质疑教宗宗教自由保护者的角色，并恐惧和担忧大陆天主教徒对教宗的隶属将造成国家分裂。天主教在线予以全文翻译如下：
教宗本笃十六世圣诞文告的主题是“和平与希望”，但他却直截了当的批评中国“限制宗教自由”。相较于宗教领袖，教宗的话听起来更像一个西方政客。
梵蒂冈是欧洲唯一没有与中国建立外交关系的国家。近年来，梵蒂冈和中国都有意改善两国关系，由于梵蒂冈不愿与台湾“断交”，坚持对在中国的天主教神职任命权，这些从长期改善关系来讲会造成困难。
本笃的评论并无新意。最近，在没有教宗的认可下，中国的天主教神职人员举行了一次代表会议，选举了他们自己的领导人。这激怒了教宗，而教宗想掌管全世界的天主教信众。
历史上，梵蒂冈和基督教的冲突就是很好的明证。因此教宗在攻击中国内政前，应好好反思下他这个所谓宗教自由保护者的角色。
世事在变，宗教信仰可以不变，但信仰的社会政治环境肯定在变，梵蒂冈没有力量影响世界的变化方向和速度，也不应试图做这样的影响。天主教是中国宗教生活的一部分，梵蒂冈必须面对中国允许在法律范围内，所有宗教信仰自由的事实。
梵蒂冈近年来数次试图阻止中国天主教代表会议的召开，甚至曾威胁要惩罚参加会议的神职人员，梵蒂冈对政治的这种固执的纠缠看来并没有随着时间的推移褪色——60年前中华人民共和国刚建立时，梵蒂冈发布命令，要求中国天主教拒绝与新政府合作，以失败告终。
宗教信仰是个人自由，但每个人都有一个有法律约束力的身份：国籍。梵蒂冈声称宗教身份超越一切是不切实际的，对一个由多民族多宗教组成的国家甚至是有害的。中国有大量的天主教徒，还有基督新教徒，穆斯林信众，佛教徒和道教徒等。要是他们都隶属于外国的某个权力中心，中国将是不完整的。
幸亏绝大多数的主流宗教团体都与中国保持良好关系，梵蒂冈只算少数。当然，梵蒂冈的对华要求是权力，与天主教信仰的核心无关。迄今为止，梵蒂冈的举动在世界上并没有赢得多少支持。
梵蒂冈迟早得调整自己的对华政策。
英文版：
Vatican must stop interfering with China
- Source: Global Times
- [08:04 December 27 2010]
Basing his Christmas message on "peace and hope," Pope Benedict XVI directly criticized China for "the limitations imposed on freedom of religion." The pontiff sounded more like a Western politician than a religious leader.
The Vatican is the only country in Europe that has not established official diplomatic relations with China. Even though relations between the two countries have been improving in recent years, so long as the Vatican refuses to cut its "diplomatic ties" with Taiwan, and insists on taking back the right to appoint Catholic priests in China, it will be difficult for permanent improvements to be made.
Benedict's remarks are nothing new. Chinese Catholic priests held a conference lately and elected their own leaders without the Pope's recognition, as they have always done. This irritated the Pope, who wants to lord over all Catholic believers in the world.
In history, conflict between the Vatican and Christian offshoots are well documented. Before the Pope attacks China's internal affairs, he may want to rethink the Vatican's so-called role as a protector of religious freedom.
The world is changing, as are the social and political surrounds for religious belief. The Vatican has no power to control the direction and speed of the world's changes, and it should not attempt to do so. Catholic churches are part of the religious life of Chinese people. The Vatican has to face the fact that all religious beliefs are free in China, as long as they do not run counter to the country's laws.
In recent years, the Vatican has tried several times to interfere with the Catholic conferences held in China, and even threatened to punish participating priests. Its stubborn entanglements with politics do not seem to fade away with time - 60 years ago when the People's Republic of China was founded, the Vatican tried to order Chinese Catholic churches to refuse cooperation with the new government, but failed.
Religious belief is a personal freedom. However, every person also has an identity bound by law, their citizenship. The Vatican's claim that religious identity goes beyond everything else is unrealistic, and even harmful for a country composed of various ethnicities and religions. China has large numbers of Catholics, other Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Taoists. Were they all to report to certain foreign power centers, China would not be complete.
Fortunately, most of the major religious groups have good relations with China. The Vatican is part of a rare few. What the Vatican demands from China is power, it is not about the true core of Catholic belief. So far, its act is not winning much support across the world.
Sooner or later, Vatican will have to adjust its China policy. |
