On being Catholic and Christian

Anyone who has been reading this blog fairly regularly will recognize that I love it here in China. The people, the food, the language, the novelty of each cultural revelation...I spend most of my time on these topics. In the interest of balance I also want to comment on some insights and thoughts which have been coming up lately as we move a little more deeply into relationships with people here. It is hard to understand the peculiar form of "oppression" of freedom here. Much of it appears to be self-imposed..as one friend was saying about her apolitical stance..."we don't want to create disorder, so we leave it up to the government and hope they do a good job..." In daily life, the people seem to have a lot of freedoms, some, like the freedom to choose one's own work and place to live, are quite new (only about the past 10 years or so)-- and not always popular, as some people miss the days of guaranteed employment and housing in an economy where there is a lot of rapid change and demand outstrips supply.
For Christians, we are beginning to get a sense of how much more problematic the situation can be. For example...worship services are only supposed to be held in officially approved churches, led by clergy approved by the government. These churches may not evangelize or advertise in any way. There are some foreigners on campus who have a nondenominational worship service...but you have to show a foreign passport to get in. Some churches will sponsor "English corners" as a way to open up communication with the community at large, but these have to be non-religious conversations, or they will lose their permission to operate.
Which brings me to our church...we attend an officially sanctioned Catholic Church, and I have been learning a little more about its history. We have been so delighted with finding an English liturgy, and are getting to know more of the established members, as it is fairly small. The parish re-opened in the early 1990s. One of the members told me that our priest spent many years in prison during past times of persecution, and apparently taught himself English while there. When you get to know someone personally and find out something like that...and then the readings are about facing trials and persecutions with strength of faith -- it really gets your attention. People at our church believe that some who attend the Masses are observers who are sent to "spy" on what is being said.

The officially sanctioned Catholic Church, called the "patriotic church", is not permitted to acknowledge papal authority, and has to cooperate with the government in the naming of bishops, etc. There are also "underground" priests and congregations, who oppose the cooperation of other Catholics with the government, and continue to operate at great risk.
We have also heard that Christians who acknowledge the fact openly may face discrimination in the workplace..not advance in their careers, etc. All this has made very tangible and real so much of what we take for granted as Americans-- some days, like today I find myself quite preoccupied by it all.