THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CHINA

New Zealand Tablet, 29 June 1916, Page 9

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN CHINA

ORGANISATION, PROGRESS, AND OUTLOOK. There is great ignorance in England on the. sub-ject-of Catholic Missions and Catholic work in China. This is not owing to any ill-will, it would seem, but is largely due to the fact that the greater part of the missionaries are French or Italian, and hence only fewreports are translated into our language. Moreover, it does happen that some papers maintain a studied silence on t£e progress and prospects of the Catholic Church, and thus these reports seldom find their way into Protestant papers. The writer of the present contribution has been thirty years in China, and therefore can claim some experience and competency in the matter; moreover, being a born Britisher, and mingling with Britishers in the Far East, he feels he can speak to his countrymen at home with sympathy borne of race and language, and a thorough acquaintance with religious views, which cannot be expected from a foreigner (writes the Rev. M. Kennelly, S.J., in the Universe). The First Historical Monument attesting the introduction of Christianity into the country dates from the eighth century. It is a stone slab, discovered a.d. 1625, near the city of Si-ngan-fu, in the province of Shensi. It bears the date of a.d. 781, and was erected by the Nestorian monks, a Christian sect separated from the main body of Catholics, and who probably came from Syria or Persia. According to this slab, they then possessed several churches and monasteries and enjoyed liberty to preach the Gospel. They were banished in a.d. 845 by an edict of the Emperor Wutsung, of the Tang Dynasty. Scattered groups, however, continued to exist in China during the following centuries, and the famous Venetian traveller, Marco Polo, found several Nestorian congregations at Kashgar, Samarcand, and even at ' Peking towards the close of the thirteenth century. In the second half of the same century and during the fourteenth several Catholic missionaries were sent to China by the Roman Pontiffs and Catholic sovereigns. The Mongol invasion of Tamerlane closed the Western land route to China, and so all missionaries had after that period to reach the country by sea. Dominicans and Franciscans, setting out from Manila, attempted at various times to enter the country, and found churches in the South, but practically failed owing to the hostility and opposition of officials. Tpwards the middle of the sixteenth century, the Portuguese occupied Macao, and in 1575 a Catholic* bishopric was erected there, and has lasted down to the present day. At this period The Jesuit Missionaries First Reached China., Xavier, the great apostle of India and Japan, pushed on in his ardor to the mouth of the Canton River, and died at Sancian, within sight of the goal. Another Jesuit soon afterwards arrived, a.d. 1582, This was Matthew Ricci, the distinguished mathematician and linguist, and author of the first Chinese dictionary made by a foreigner. Ricci was received with favor at the Imperial Court, and permitted to make converts among the literati and people. After Ricci came other Jesuits mathematicians, and astronomers; all of whom labored both in the capital and throughout the provinces. Many of these men witnessed the downfall of the Ming dynasty, and when it was succeeded by that of the Manchus, they were still favored and esteemed by the new rulers. From the outset, the success of the Jesuits was phenomenal. With their great learning and scientific knowledge, they appealed wonderfully

to the intellect of -the country, and so impressed the Emperors and literati, that, to quote the words ■of Lord William Cecil, ' they almost succeeded in converting China from top to bottom.' Their course, however, was not always an unobstructed one, and the jealousy of the Confucian, literati and Buddhist priests often placed their work in danger, and even caused several - persecutions. Their missions, notwithstanding, prospered; churches and chapels were to be found in almost every province, and at the close of the. 18th century the China Mission reckoned as many as 300,000 baptised converts. With the Jesuits came also, but later on, the Spanish Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, Vincentians, and the Paris Foreign Missions. The Jesuits labored in China for well-nigh 200 years, and when they were unhappily suppressed in Europe to appease the threatened schism of the Bourbon Courts, and the rising time of impiety which preceded the French Revolution, the Vincentians, and Paris Foreign Missions took their place and continued their glorious labors. Hostility and Persecution marked all phases of missionary work at the close of the 18th and the opening of the 19th century. . The Emperors Yungcheng, Kienlung, and Kiaking, were bitter haters of foreigners, feared Western influence, and put constant restriction on missionary endeavors. In 1816,. Lord Amherst's embassy to Peking was treated with the utmost incivility. China's pretension to universal sovereignty, her refusal to treat foreigners on terms of equality and grant liberty of commerce, insults against individuals and the flag, soon led to hostilities with Great Britain. The Treaty of Nanking, signed August 29, 1842, came as a happy conclusion to the war, and opened China not only to British trade, but also to the higher and nobler work of the Catholic Church. Treaties signed with the great Western Powers guaranteed henceforth religious toleration, and a new and flourishing period began for Catholic Missions. About this time many old landmarks disappeared, and a new and better organisation was- commenced. The field, instead of being controlled by "the two bishoprics of Peking and Nanking, was divided up into some twenty Apostolic Vicariates, each presided over by a missionary bishop, and entrusted to one or other of the great religious Orders which, flourish within the Church. This apportionment of the field prevented overlapping and friction, and allowed each body of workers to concentrate men and funds within a specific area. The restored Jesuits returned in 1842, and soon regained their old splendid influence, though not in Peking, the portion of the field henceforth allotted to -their labors being the two provinces of Kiangsu and Anhwei, or what is popularly known as the ' Shanghai Catholic Mission.' Progress was slow at first, but gradually became more rapid and encouraging, and from 1860 down to the present day, the results have surpassed all expectations and border really on the wonderful. The organisation of the field, commenced in 1840, is now completed. The Catholic Church in China reckons at present 47 dioceses or Vicariates-Apostolic, each under the immediate control of a bishop, and in some cases of two, the younger or assistant bishop helping the other when disabled by age or infirmity. _ The Aggregate Number of Catholic Bishops, including assistant ones, is 54. Working with the bishops, and under their control, is the missionary staff. This" comprises 1462 foreign priests and 806" native Chinese priests, thus, with the bishops comprised, making a total of 2322 ordained clergy. The foreign priests hail from all the countries of Europe, and thus splendidly bespeak the universal character of the Catholic Church. Among them are French, Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, Belgians, Germans, Austrians, Dutch, and eight Britishers, the latter all home-born, except one, who is a Canadian. .These missionaries • are on the whole a splendid set of men admirably equipped for their ' arduous ? work, zealous, active, and leading a life <af self-denial which would appal even an English day laborer. They live entirely among the

natives, speak their language, adopt their dress, share their coarse and scanty fare, and are thoroughly devoted to their interests, whether these be. religious, educational, or philanthropic. This is the secret of their moral influence, which is immense. The large number of the Chinese clergy is a feature peculiar to the Catholic Church, which excludes no * race from, the ranks of its clergy, provided that the men come up to the intellectual and moral standard laid down by Canon law. All .these native priests are trained in divinity, philosophy, science, and literature, arid work in the field side' by side with their foreign brethren for the conversion of their countrymen. The mission is also helped by several teaching congregations of Brothers and nuns, principally in Hongkong, at Shanghai, and the large open ports. Native nuns are likewise a special feature of Catholic Mission work. Fifty years ago, when-the great missionary movement commenced, Catholic converts were but a mere handful of 300,000 souls. To-day They Number Close on 2,000,0,00 . or, to speak according to the latest returns of 1915, they are 1,750,675 that is, they have increased sixfold during the past 50 years. To these must be added 424,600 probationers for baptism, who, when well instructed and. prepared, will soon swell the Tanks of the above 2,000,000. Converts are recruited from all classes: literary, industrial, agricultural, laboring, and even a few from official ranks. The present-day Minister of Foreign Affairs is a Catholic, and thoroughly loyal to his country and its best interests. The Chinese convert is tested longgenerally a year or twobefore being received into the Church. He must give up polygamy, opium-smoking, gambling, and all superstitious practices. During his probation, he must learn the doctrine, prayers, and practices of the Church. All this assures that his desire is solid and real. Once a Christian, he is sincerely attached to his religion. He loves his clergy, and helps them in building churches, erecting schools and hospitals so far as he can. Besides the conversion of pagans, the Catholic Church in China Maintains Numerous Seminaries for the formation of the native clergy, and carries on educational work in schools and colleges. The Shanghai Mission, one of the most flourishing of China today, and reckoning 228,000 converts, has two seminaries, a university, two large colleges (attendance, 1175), two convents for girls (attendance, 890), an observatory, a museum of natural history, an industrial school, and printing press, which excite the admiration of all visitors. These splendid results have been secured with a small staff of men and helpers, and with very limited resources. They are, therefore, the more wonderful and the more honorable for the Catholic missionaries. If Catholics had the wealth and the equipment of Protestant missions, their results would simply stagger the world. The Anglican Church in China reckons to-day 11 missionary bishops, 155 ordained ministers, 34,755 baptised converts, including communicants, and 7568 probationers for baptism. The total foreign staff, including wives of missionaries, is. 752, while the native helpers number 1811. (Report of the General Synod held at Shanghai, April, 1915.) The total returns of 1914 give the following statistics for the 103 Protestant denominations now working in China. Baptised Christian converts,. 207,747, or only one-eighth of those reckoned by Catholics; probationers, 48,462;' foreign missionaries (men and women), 5186; ordained Chinese ministers, 650; lay native helpers, 9220. .There is a studied resolve among Protestants to ignore Catholic work in China. f The.above statistics will dispei many illusions, and lay before every impartial reader the true state and real results of both competitors. Having so far. considered the past, and dealt with it in its various aspects, we must before closing cast - A Glance on the Future, and ask ourselves the question, ' What are the hopes of; the . CatholicChurch' in China?' •r To this the reply

is that they are most encouraging. The Catholic Church has behind her an uninterrupted chain of long experience; she has encountered many problems in the mission field, and solved them to the best of her ability; she Has battled splendidly against sin and evil, against the tangled jungle of superstitions, and the deadening influence of a backward and stagnant civilisation. She has already effected a great change of thought, and impressed on her converts, and through them on the masses, ajiigh standard of life. She has done much for education, much for relieving the ills and sufferings of the people; she has rescued thousands of abandoned and destitute children, and brought them up in a bright and happy Christian home. Her men are thoroughly trained, organised, and disciplined; she bears to the Chinamen a uniform message, uniform Church government and Christian practices. The Pekinese convert, when he comes to Shanghai, is as much at home in a Catholic church as he would be in his native city. More could be done if more men and more funds were available. The fewness of English Catholic missionaries is a great drawback and calls for redress in the near future. Despite these shortcomings, it must be said that the Catholic Church in China has achieved wonderful success, and this is the best warrant for what she expects to perform in the future. Like warring Europe, she wants peace, and if she enjoys it, in the next fifty years she will draw millions to her fold.