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BEIJING, CHINA: China holds secret talks to reconcile with church
As China welcomes in the new year secret talks are being held in an attempt to reconcile with the Protestant Church
By Jane Macartney in Beijing
Independent.ie
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/asia-pacific/china-holds-secret-talks-to-reconcile-with-church-1614381.html
January 26 2009
A secret meeting between Chinese officials and leaders of the banned underground Protestant Church has marked the first significant step towards reconciliation in decades.
The discussions, which were held in an office in Beijing, were the first time that members of the government and stalwarts of the outlawed "house churches" had sat down as negotiators rather than foes.
The timing was significant -- this year is the 60th anniversary of Communist power and the government is keen to ensure that there are no disturbances to mar its celebrations.
The Year of the Ox also begins today and Beijing is anxious to usher in a year of stability despite economic difficulties.
For three decades China has allowed officially sanctioned churches to operate within strict limits.
Illegal
Protestants are supposed to worship under the aegis of the official religious body, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement -- standing for self-governing, self-teaching and self-supporting. Catholics can worship in churches run by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. Other Christian organisations are illegal.
In recent years the number of faithful has soared. Officials privately estimate the total at 130 million -- far outstripping the 74 million members of the Communist Party. Most are Protestants and are affiliated with unofficial house churches.
No representatives of the underground Catholic Church were invited -- the Vatican is still viewed by the Communist Party as a rival force and tentative talks yielded little progress.
Church leaders said that the government -- including the police, who have raided and crushed underground churches for years -- had realised that the time for confrontation had passed. (Copyright The Times, London)
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