The Secret Cardinal (45 page)

 

Fact:
Of the estimated forty bishops of the underground Roman Catholics in China, most are in prison or under house arrest with the remainder in hiding. Most of these bishops are very old, and they are dying at a rapid rate. The Holy See has not made any new episcopal appointments to the underground Roman Catholic Church in the past decade and many dioceses, including Shanghai, are vacant.

 

Fact:
Roman Catholic bishops are required to travel to Rome every five years to report on the condition of their diocese. The Chinese government prohibits this activity, and Roman Catholic bishops and priests are often charged with espionage.

 

Fact:
The Vatican does not possess an intelligence service comparable to the CIA or the Israeli Mossad, or even to one as modest as the one described in this novel. The Holy See receives information primarily through reports filed by its diplomatic corps and from published sources. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Vatican did receive intelligence briefings from the CIA relating to the Solidarity
movement in Poland. Anecdotally, the Vatican is considered by many to be the nation most spied upon, yet least capable of spying.

 

Fact:
Diplomatic discussions between China and the Vatican remain stalled over three major issues: recognition of Taiwan, the naming of bishops, and, most importantly, recognition of the authority of the pope over the Roman Catholic Church. China demands that the Vatican sever ties with Taiwan as a precondition to further discussions. The Vatican is unlikely to surrender such a valuable bargaining chip for nothing. China further demands that the Vatican refrain from interfering with internal matters, such as the naming of bishops. Church dogma states that the pope has final authority in the naming of bishops.

 

Fact:
Unlike the title of priest or bishop, the rank of cardinal is not sacramental. Cardinals are primarily assistants and advisers to the pope, and lay cardinals were permitted until 1918. Since then, with rare exception, only bishops have been named cardinal. The pope creates new cardinals by first naming them publicly, then elevating them at a consistory.

 

Fact:
In cases where a bishop's life would be endangered, the pope can name him a cardinal
in pectore,
keeping the name a secret in his heart. Pope John Paul II did so with long-imprisoned Bishop Kung Pin-Mei of Shanghai in 1979. The pope revealed his secret cardinal in 1991, but only after Kung was finally released from prison and exiled to the United States.

 

Fact:
When China regained control of Hong Kong from Britain in 1997, Cardinal Wu Cheng-Chung became the first Chinese cardinal in the Communist nation. Hong Kong enjoys religious freedoms not permitted in the rest of China, and the aging Wu was allowed to remain. Upon Wu's death, Beijing made known it would be displeased if the Vatican created another cardinal in Hong Kong. In 2003, Pope John Paul II named his fourth and final secret cardinal.

Fact:
In April 2005, Pope John Paul II died and took to his grave the name of his last secret cardinal, though many believe it was Hong Kong's Bishop Zen Ze-Kiun. One year later, Pope Benedict XVI made Bishop Zen a cardinal, triggering outrage from China. Like Pope John Paul II, Zen is a staunch anti-Communist, and he has taken a strong stand against Beijing's efforts to rein in the rights and liberties enjoyed by the citizens of Hong Kong. The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association decried Zen's elevation as “a hostile act” against the government of China.

 

Fact:
Following Zen's elevation, the CCPA named several new bishops who were not acceptable to the Vatican—candidates chosen more for their political reliability than their episcopal qualifications. Allegations of kidnapping and forced participation/attendance marred Beijing's claims that the ordinations were proper. The ordinations garnered worldwide condemnation.

 

Fact:
On June 30, 2007, the Vatican posted an open letter on the Vatican web site from the pope to Catholics in China. The letter expressed the pope's desire for greater unity among the official and underground Catholics, for strong ties between the faithful of China and the rest of the Roman Catholic Church, for improved relations between China and the Vatican, and for a dialog on the naming of bishops in China. In response, China reiterated its stance regarding the Vatican's diplomatic relations with Taiwan and on interference in China's internal matters. China also blocked access to the Vatican web site and to domestic web sites that posted the pope's letter.

 

Fact:
On September 1, 2007, China's State Administration for Religious Affairs implemented Order No. 5, granting the state sole authority over the reincarnation of Living Buddhas. This formalizes a process started in 1995, when China arrested a boy who had recently been recognized as the reincarnated Panchen Lama, and then installed their own Panchen Lama. Through enforcement of this law, China intends to secure control over the most revered figures in Tibetan Buddhism,
including the next Dalai Lama. This effort mirrors China's control over the naming of bishops by the CCPA.

 

Fact:
September 9, 2007, Bishop Han Ding Xiang, the Roman Catholic bishop of Yang Nian in Heibei Province, died in prison. The bishop spent nearly 35 years of his life in prisons and labor camps or under house arrest, and his whereabouts during his last six years of incarceration were unknown. The cause of the bishop's death remains unknown but the circumstances of his death appear suspicious as he died late in the night and was cremated and interred before dawn the next day.

 

Fact:
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders view the pro-democracy movement and Christianity as the greatest threats to their single-party rule, and they are keenly aware of the Vatican's role in toppling Soviet communism. They are particularly fearful of someone with the moral authority to challenge the CCP rising up from within China. Cardinal Zen embodies this perceived danger because the charismatic and popular bishop of Hong Kong is now in a position to become the next pope.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I first became aware of the bitter struggle between church and state in China in March 2000 when I read a transcript of Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman's eloquent tribute on the floor of the U.S. Senate marking the death of Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei. Through Lieberman's recitation of the facts and circumstances of Kung's life, I learned of the ongoing religious repression in China and found the seed of this story in the concept of a secret cardinal. The late Cardinal Kung was a man of great faith and was both an inspiration and a symbol to the oppressed Roman Catholics of China. Although some aspects of my fictional title character may mirror those of Cardinal Kung, this story is a work of fiction and not a biography.

For those interested in the fascinating story of a real secret cardinal, I refer you to
www.cardinalkungfoundation.org
. I also found Malachi Martin's novel
The Final Conclave
a most insightful exploration of Vatican politics.

My deepest gratitude to Capt. B.J. Keepers (USN/Ret), Fr. Brendan Walsh, Dr. David Gorski, Rita Thiron of the Diocese of Lansing, Billy Downs, Jonathan Swift, Loretta Barrett, and those who cannot be named. Their help was invaluable. As always, any mistakes are mine alone.

My thanks also to Roger Cooper at Vanguard Press, my agent Esther Margolis, and my editors Peter Guzzardi and Ed Stackler for their thoughtful advice and kind support; to my family and friends for their love and encouragement; and to my dog for keeping my feet warm as I write into the night. And last, I recognize my five children and wife Kathy, who make all things possible.

Copyright © 2007 by The Kilkenny Group, LLC

 

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Set in Granjon

 

 

Grace, Tom.
The secret cardinal / Tom Grace.
p. cm.

eISBN : 978-0-786-73176-3

 

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