China: Archbishop Pittau, the meaning of the Pope's opening

The Jesuit archbishop, the secretary of the Dicastero for Catholic Education, points out the prophetic strength of the message and the real willingness for a new chapter in the relationships

Rome (Italy), October 27 (VID) - The Pope would immediately accept a possible invitation by the Chinese authorities to visit the country. This was confirmed by Giuseppe Pittau, SJ, secretary of the Congregation for the Catholic Education, in the talk that he gave at the Gregorian University in Rome, on Thursday, at the conclusion of the symposium on the figure and on the work of Matteo Ricci. "The Pope wants divisions to be surmounted - the archbishop has explained - and he wants unity."Archbishop Pittau knows the expectations of the pope well, in as much as before having the important office in the Vatican, he was a missioner in Asia for many years as well as the Sophia University of Tokyo. In support of his reasoning, Archbishop Pittau referred to the personal history of Pope Wojtyla, who was profoundly marked, according to him, by the tragic events of the Second World War and from the persecution against the Jews. The Pope consequently knows firsthand the significance of divisions, of the suffering, of the weight of the past. For these reasons, "he wants divisions to be set aside" and hence the message of opening to Chinese government which was sent on October 24th to the participants in the convention, to seek to respond "to the many worries" that China nourishes toward the Church. Archbishop Pittau in to concluding his intervention also pointed out that the message of the Pope has been written as a gesture of opening. And that the Church doesn't intend to seek any kind of privilege as regards the activity that it carries out.

Vidimus Dominum
27. oktober 2001

av Webmaster publisert 29.10.2001, sist endret 29.10.2001 - 14:33