Gianni Criveller PIME
First Part: A Second Chinese Council?
This year [2024] many of us are reflecting on the legacy of the First Chinese Council, also known as the Council of Shanghai, celebrated one hundred years ago [1924]. It was an important event for the Catholic Church in China and it is meaningful even today for the Chinese and universal Church. It opened the way to the Church’s indigenization, i.e. entrusting its leadership to the local clergy; and inculturation, i.e. expressing the faith through local cultural forms. It is also an anticipated exercise of Synodality, the path in which Pope Francis wants to lead the Church today and for the future. I found remarkable the very name of the ecclesial event: “First Chinese Council.” Synod and Council, even if today have different canonical connotations, have in reality the same meaning: the first is a Greek word; the second is a Latin one. When, then, will there be a Second Chinese Council? I mean: when will the people of God, bishops and other members of the Church, meet, in communion with the Bishop of Rome, to discuss matters of the life of faith? I understand that this might sound like a dream. Similarly, one hundred years ago many, or most ecclesiastics considered the Council of China not necessary and impossible. Yet it took place, thanks to courageous persons that today we describe as prophets. And today there is a great need for them, as there are urgent challenges that call for action by the people of God.
1. Young People
Many observers, parents, teachers and educators say that there is an emergency today: the young people. All over the world, young people experience fragility and emotional instability. The Covid crisis has had a major impact on people’s lives, especially the younger generation.
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