austraLasia #2439
Heavenly Powers: Holy See Diplomacy towards China, and the University of Tasmania, Hobart
HOBART: 14th June 2009 -- It was a refreshing change from an earlier visit from the New Zealander looking for a certain body! Instead, when a young, bright Italian called Fabrizio Bozzato turned up at the Pisana a year or two back, and announced that he was pursuing an M.A . in International Relations at the University of Tasmania, certain ears pricked up immediately! Fabrizio already had a Grad. Dip. in International Relations and a Masters in Political Science (Milan). He was after a different body, it turned out - a 'body politic', and not in Tasmania, nor in Italy for that matter. His chief interest was to gain an introduction to key figures in Sino-Vatican relations, especially if they were in Terra Sinica itself.
Fabrizio seemed already better connected than a Calcutta Call centre, but he went away with a couple of letters that could help him, and it seems that he has made good use of them. In his recently completed thesis, 'Heavenly Powers: Holy See Diplomacy towards China", Fabrizio offers profuse thanks to Cardinals Bertone and Zen, and special thanks to the Salesians in Hong Kong and Taipei, who have been his 'family' while in those parts and to many other ecclesiastics, and lay experts who have helped him along the way.
What does the Thesis attempt to do?
Chapter 1 focuses on the twofold role of the Holy See as the supreme Government of the Roman Catholic Church, and subject of international law, thus participating in the international system as a sovereign, independent, organised entity.
Chapter 2 traverses the history of relations between the Catholic Church and China from the 13th century onwards.
Chapter 3 analyses the last decade of Sino-Pontifical interaction marked by the Holy See's firm determination to improve relations even in the face of ambivalent response.
Chapter 4 analyses Benedict XVI's letter to Chinese Catholics
Chapter 5 investigates the first of the two main factors that appear to frustrate the Holy See's efforts toward diplomatic normalisation with the PRC: the rivalry between two factions that attempt to shape China's relationships with the Holy See. One factor is 'idealist' the other 'realist' and they involve not just clergy but journalists, academics and politicians.
Chapter 6 is devoted to the major exogenous (external to the Church) cause of the diplomatic impasse: conflict of authority between Catholic Church and Chinese State.
Chapter 7 analyses the main problems the two parties have in normalising their relations: issues like perceived 'interference' of the Holy See in China's internal affairs, and the Holy See's relations with Taipei.
Chapter 8 concludes the analysis of problematic relations, suggesting two possible models followed earlier by China, one with Soviet Russia the other with Vietnam.
The thesis concludes on a note of eternal optimism: noting first that "flexibility in tradition is the very engine of change in both the Catholic Church and the Communist Party in China (CPC)", Fabrizio concludes that the two parties could use their mastery of the art of 'changing without changing' to reach mutually advantageous agreement. But the two parties have one other common feature: patience! "As Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, the principal architect of the Pontifical Ostpolitik once said: 'China's patience lasts a thousand years, but the Church's patience is eternal' ".
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
Title: australasia 2439
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces: China Sino-Holy See relations.
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2439
Heavenly Powers: Holy See Diplomacy towards China, and the University of Tasmania, Hobart
HOBART: 14th June 2009 -- It was a refreshing change from an earlier visit from the New Zealander looking for a certain body! Instead, when a young, bright Italian called Fabrizio Bozzato turned up at the Pisana a year or two back, and announced that he was pursuing an M.A . in International Relations at the University of Tasmania, certain ears pricked up immediately! Fabrizio already had a Grad. Dip. in International Relations and a Masters in Political Science (Milan). He was after a different body, it turned out - a 'body politic', and not in Tasmania, nor in Italy for that matter. His chief interest was to gain an introduction to key figures in Sino-Vatican relations, especially if they were in Terra Sinica itself.
Fabrizio seemed already better connected than a Calcutta Call centre, but he went away with a couple of letters that could help him, and it seems that he has made good use of them. In his recently completed thesis, 'Heavenly Powers: Holy See Diplomacy towards China", Fabrizio offers profuse thanks to Cardinals Bertone and Zen, and special thanks to the Salesians in Hong Kong and Taipei, who have been his 'family' while in those parts and to many other ecclesiastics, and lay experts who have helped him along the way.
What does the Thesis attempt to do?
Chapter 1 focuses on the twofold role of the Holy See as the supreme Government of the Roman Catholic Church, and subject of international law, thus participating in the international system as a sovereign, independent, organised entity.
Chapter 2 traverses the history of relations between the Catholic Church and China from the 13th century onwards.
Chapter 3 analyses the last decade of Sino-Pontifical interaction marked by the Holy See's firm determination to improve relations even in the face of ambivalent response.
Chapter 4 analyses Benedict XVI's letter to Chinese Catholics
Chapter 5 investigates the first of the two main factors that appear to frustrate the Holy See's efforts toward diplomatic normalisation with the PRC: the rivalry between two factions that attempt to shape China's relationships with the Holy See. One factor is 'idealist' the other 'realist' and they involve not just clergy but journalists, academics and politicians.
Chapter 6 is devoted to the major exogenous (external to the Church) cause of the diplomatic impasse: conflict of authority between Catholic Church and Chinese State.
Chapter 7 analyses the main problems the two parties have in normalising their relations: issues like perceived 'interference' of the Holy See in China's internal affairs, and the Holy See's relations with Taipei.
Chapter 8 concludes the analysis of problematic relations, suggesting two possible models followed earlier by China, one with Soviet Russia the other with Vietnam.
The thesis concludes on a note of eternal optimism: noting first that "flexibility in tradition is the very engine of change in both the Catholic Church and the Communist Party in China (CPC)", Fabrizio concludes that the two parties could use their mastery of the art of 'changing without changing' to reach mutually advantageous agreement. But the two parties have one other common feature: patience! "As Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, the principal architect of the Pontifical Ostpolitik once said: 'China's patience lasts a thousand years, but the Church's patience is eternal' ".
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
Title: australasia 2439
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces: China Sino-Holy See relations.
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2439
