Under a provisional agreement, the Vatican will recognise the legitimacy of bishops appointed by Beijing.

The deal comes at a time when the ruling Communist Party is cracking down on "illegal" Christian groups in the country.

Amnesty International China researcher Patrick Poon is concerned about the effect the agreement will have on freedom of religion in China in the future.

"Such an agreement will effectively set a very bad precedent for other religions (in China) ... It will put Catholics under a lot of pressure," he says.

Although Chinese state media supports the proposal and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China say they "wholeheartedly supported" the deal, others don't paint so positive a picture.

Father Bernardo Cervellera says the reaction had been more muted among Chinese Catholics.

"There is on one hand a little bit of joy, because something is happening, there is a provisional agreement, but there is a lot of sadness because many problems remain open, above all the fact that many bishops have been disappeared at the hands of the police," he says.

Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong says the agreement is an "incredible betrayal."

He is accusing the Vatican of "giving the flock into the mouths of the wolves."

He believes the agreement will result in "spiritual suffering" in China's underground church.

"They fear that the Holy See is betraying the faith and that they want them to join this betrayal," he says.

He also fears the Vatican will abandon official ties with Taiwan now the agreement has been signed, as Beijing demands any country that has relations with China must forfeit recognition of self-ruling Taiwan, which it sees as part of its territory to be reunified.

"I'm afraid the people in Taiwan may not understand because it looks like a betrayal of a friend."

Taiwan officials say the Vatican has assured them the agreement will not affect diplomatic ties as Beijing makes a concerted effort to poach their dwindling allies.

Source

• La Croix
• CNN
• The Tablet
• Channel News Asia
• Image: Catholic Herald

The Vatican is a popular destination with Chinese tourists.

The recent resumption of diplomatic talks between the Vatican and China has prompted an increase in the flow of tourists-pilgrims.

If he realises they are at the Vatican, Pope Francis greets them personally and poses for selfies with them.

Some see their visit in the nature of a pilgrimage while others go because they are curious.

Travel agents have been warned they will be fined up to UK£34,000 if they don't cancel scheduled tours to St Peter's and Vatican City.

The Chinese Communist Party says it has established the ban because "there are no diplomatic relations" between China and the Holy See.

However, news reports say relations between China's ruling Communist Party and the Vatican have been strained since Chinese Catholics fled to Taiwan after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong's communists in 1949.

The news sources note that, in 1950, a Catholic priest was jailed for his alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate China's leader, Mao Tse-tung.

China has since indicated a desire to restore relations with the Vatican.

The catch is, the Vatican must agree to sever links with Taiwan, which China sees as a renegade province.

The Vatican is the only European state with which Taiwan has full diplomatic relations.

However, all European Union nations recognise Taiwan as a Chinese territory.

It is not clear what effect, if any, the ban will have on a recently agreed joint cultural exhibition between the Vatican and China.

Source

• Herald Malaysia
• Express
• Image: South China Morning Post

Last week, Pope Francis called on Chinese Catholics to attach themselves to "the rock of Peter on which the Church was built".

This means giving allegiance to Rome, rather than the government-sanctioned Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.

There are an estimated 12 million Catholics in China, but the state officially tolerates only government-appointed bishops and churches.

The Pope's call came after President Xi Jinping said in a speech that religion in China must be "Chinese" and free from any "foreign influence".

But Notre Dame East Asian language and culture academic Lionel Jensen didn't the latest tit-for-tat as a setback to improved relations between the Holy See and Beijing.

Such remarks by the Pope are just the latest in a verbal sparring match that may sound inflammatory, but still ultimately aims to work out some type of relationship, Dr Jensen said.

"This is some of the tit-for-tat we see with both sides trying to establish what their ground rules are going to be."

"The movement toward a rapprochement began in earnest last August when Pope Francis urged Asian area bishops, who met with him before his departure from Korea, to assist in facilitating a warmer relationship with China," Dr Jensen said.

He said Francis showed an inclination to further engage with China when he opted not to meet the Dalai Lama when he was in Rome.

"This was really quite strange. But it makes sense to me because this is the kind of behaviour that China expects out of high-level people when they are in some kind of negotiations with China."

But Dr Jensen acknowledged that the path ahead would not be easy.

There have been no formal diplomatic relations between China and the Holy See since 1951, when China cut off ties with the Vatican.

The Holy See's ongoing diplomatic relations with Taiwan are problematic for Beijing.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has started a "subdued" visit to China amid the worst persecution against Christians there in a generation.

Sources

• International Business Times
• Asia News
• National Catholic Reporter
• Breitbart
• UCAnews
• Image: The Guardian

Observed on January 31 this year, the Chinese New Year rings in the Year of the Wood Horse, but it's marked this time by considerable fire, according to feng shui experts. This could bring startling changes for the world, they say.

Fortune-tellers have also predicted this Year of the Horse could see increasing violence, turmoil and natural disasters — as if the previous Year of the Snake didn't cause enough trouble for the world. Continue reading.

Source: HuffPost Religion

Image: Performers display a dragon dance during a Chinese New Year parade in Hong Kong on January 31, 2014. Philippe Lopez/AFP/Getty Images

His father had migrated to New Zealand from China in the late 30s and ran a fruit shop with Barry's grandfather. He brought his wife and an infant Barry over from Hong Kong in the 1950s.

They rejected Sue out of fear for their grandchildren. What would Asian-Jewish-European children look like? And where would they fit in?

Sue's Jewish grandfather had fled Europe before World War II to the corner of earth farthest from Hitler's Germany. She understood what it meant to be different.

She liked all the things that made Barry Chinese: the language, the food and the culture.

"I had awareness of difference, so it was shocking to be road-blocked with our relationship like that. It was about cultural difference," Sue said.

Then, one day, before the couple left for their OE, Barry's mother told him that when they returned they would accept Sue into the family.

But with more than 10 per cent of New Zealand identifying with more than one ethnic group, the grandparents were right. Sue and Barry's children have had to negotiate difficult issues of identity growing up in New Zealand.

Their eldest daughter, Nicky, who is "very obviously Eurasian", has struggled with her ethnic identity.

"She has never managed to not be Chinese. She has wanted to be white, but she can't get away from looking and feeling Chinese," said Barry.

Nicky is engaged to the son of Taiwanese migrants.

Sue and Barry's youngest son, Richard, has taken a very traditional Chinese girlfriend - a real surprise to his parents.

"It speaks of the era that a 21-year-old grew up in and what was his playing field at primary school and his immersion with other cultures," Sue said. Continue reading

Sources

• Simon Day in The Dominion Post
• Image: Stuff

Simon Day is a reporter for Fairfax NZ