VATICAN, Sep, 21, 00 (CWNews.com) - «No political or diplomatic considerations entered into the decision to canonize 120 Chinese martyrs on October 1,» the Holy See has emphasized.
The statement from the Vatican press office came in response to protests from the government of China, which has charged that the October 1 ceremony is a deliberate affront to the Communist state.
Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the chief spokesman for the Holy See, pointed out that the Chinese protest was based in part on inaccurate information. Beijing had said that the government of Taiwan was behind the drive to canonize the Chinese martyrs. But Navarro-Valls noted that the causes for the canonization of these martyrs had been introduced long ago-- in some cases, as early as 1893, and in most cases before the Communist government took control of mainland China.
The causes had been backed, Navarro-Valls added, by bishops from Spain, Portugal, the Philippines, and Japan, as well as Taiwan. They drive toward canonization had also been backed by Chinese bishops before the Communist takeover.
Navarro-Valls also rejected Beijing's argument that the European missionaries among the martyrs were «anti-Chinese.» He said: «All of the missionary martyrs had a deep love for China.» He said that the Chinese protests on this score were motivated by «presuppositions» and based on «vague accusations.»
Finally, the Vatican spokesman denied that the date of the canonization ceremonies had been chosen to clash with a Chinese national holiday. That coincidence had not even been noticed when the date was set, he insisted. He pointed out that October 1 is the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, the patron of missionary work, who wrote about her prayer for the Chinese missions. That was an important factor, he said.
Navarro-Valls said that the «errors of interpretation» in Beijing could be attributed largely to the «difficulty in communication,» since there are no formal diplomatic ties between China and the Holy See. «Several days ago, the spokesman for the Chinese foreign minister again expressed a desire to establish those relations,» Navarro-Valls said. «As for the Holy See, the same desire is clear, and has already been made manifest.»
Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update