Abstract
The chapter deals, first, with the poor and rather confused conditions under which the Catholic Church lived and operated during the National Republic of China: Christianity was accepted by poor people but met with hostility from the local authorities and the intellectual circles. Then, further attempts are described, that were intended to improve the relations between the Church and China, which, however, failed again because of the French opposition. The initiative was taken up by the Apostolic Delegate, Celso Costantini, but reached success only during the 2nd World War with the establishment of the diplomatic relations.
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Notes
- 1.
A. Ferro, “Le Barbarie dell’Orde brigantesche in Cina”, in Le Missioni Cattoliche (LMC), 1927, p. 12.
- 2.
A. Crotti, Noè Tacconi, il Primo Vescovo di Kaifeng (Bologna: EMI, 1999), p. 177.
- 3.
Letter dated February 6, 1907, in L.M.C. 1907, p. 757.
- 4.
Grant Maxwell, Assignment in Chekiang (Scarborough: Scarboro Foreign Missionary Society, 1982), p. 93.
- 5.
Audrey Wells, The Political Thought of Sun Yat-sen (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001), ch. Influence of Christianity on Sun Yat-sen, pp. 102–112.
- 6.
Paul A. Cohen, China and Christianity: The Missionary Movement and the Growth of Chinese Antiforeignism, 1860–1870 (Cambridge-London: Harvard University Press 3rd Printing, 1977), p. 265.
- 7.
Selected Works of Mao Tse-Tung, Foreign Language Press, Peking, 1965, vol. 1, pp. 44–46.
- 8.
Lewis S. Robinson, Double-Edged Sword, Christianity and 20th Century Chinese Fiction (Hong Kong: Tao Fung Shan Ecumenical Centre, 1986), p. 6.
- 9.
F. Schrmann, O.Schell, China Readings 2 Republican China (Penguin Books, 1967), pp. 154–157.
- 10.
It was proposed by Rev. Domenico Callerio, Director of the Pontifical Seminary of Sts. Peter and Paul for Foreign Missions, who suggested the appoint to this task, the then Apostolic Delegate to the USA, Bishop Giovanni Bonzano, who had worked in South Shaanxi Mission from 1891 to 1896: see Carlo CATTANEO, “Un inviato del Papa in missione straordinaria nel Celeste Impero. Una proposta di padre Domenico Callerio,” in Rivista Teologica di Lugano, XV, No. 3, November 2010, pp. 413–425.
- 11.
On this topic, see in particular Fortunato Margiotti, “La Cina cattolica al traguardo della maturità”, in Sacrae Congregations De Propaganda Fide Memoria Rerum, vol. III/1, 12 (Rom-Friburg-Wien, 1971–1976), pp. 508–540.
- 12.
Souvenirs et Pensées (Paris: Dèsclèes Brouwer, 1945), Ricordi e Pensieri (Brescia: Morcelliana, 1947), pp. 105–106.
- 13.
Quoted in Il Missionario cattolico, XI, 6, June 1913, p. 88.
- 14.
Quoted in Jonathan D. Spence, The Search for Modern China (New York-London: W.W. Norton & co., 1990), p. 283.
- 15.
See an article in http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res.
- 16.
See the account of the ceremony, in Il Missionario Cattolico, XIII, 2, February 29, 1915, pp. 21–23.
- 17.
See Edmond Neut, Jean Jacques Lou - Dom Lou (Bruxelles: Edition ‘Syntheses,’ 1942), p. 27.
- 18.
On this topic, see the Report of the Apostolic Visitation of Mgr. G.B. De Guébriant (September 1919–April 1920), summarized by Card. Camillo Laurenti, in SCPF Archives, Year 1922, Ponenza No. 27. “Relazione circa i provvedimenti da prendersi perché celebrazione Sinodo generale riesca bene” (Roma: Tip. Poliglotta Vaticana, 1922), pp. 261–388.
- 19.
Card. Costantini Celso (1876–1858) remained in China until 1933, then became secretary of SCPF (in 1935), and cardinal in 1953. All the information about his attempts to establish closer contacts with the Chinese government are recorded in his book “Con i missionari in Cina” (with the missionaries in China, 1946).
- 20.
C. Costantini, Con i missionari in Cina (Roma: 1946, I), pp. 45–46.
- 21.
Christina Gabrieli, Un Protagonista tra gli Eredi del Celeste Impero (Bologna: EDB, 2015), pp. 175–192.
- 22.
See the text of the telegram in Digest of the Synodal Commission, 1928, No. 2, pp. 200–201.
- 23.
See Nuncium Summi Pontificis Pii P.P. XI, Series Missionologica, cura Commissionis Synodalis in Sinis edita, Numerus II, Peking 6 January 1929.
- 24.
In the Preface to La Voix de l’Eglise en Chine (Bruxelles: Editions de la Cité Chrétienne, 1938), p. 8.
- 25.
B.F. Pighin, Edizioni critica del Diario inedito del Card. Celso Costantini. Ai margini della guerra (1938–1947) (Venezia: Marcianum, 2010), pp. 254ff.
- 26.
See details in his autobiography, Beyond East and West (New York: Sheed and Ward, 1951), pp. 325–343.
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Ticozzi, S. (2023). The Catholic Church and the National Republic of China (1912–1949). In: CHINA and the Catholic Church. Christianity in Modern China. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-3173-6_4
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