Wangliangzuo: the forerunner of the Catholic independent reform movement in China
2022-06-23
In 1949, the new democratic revolution led by the Communist Party of China won a great victory. The Chinese nation, which had been bullied by foreign powers for more than 100 years since the Opium War, finally stood up, and China entered a new era. At the same time, the Chinese Catholic Church, which was once deeply controlled by Western colonialism and imperialism, stood at the crossroads of history. Father wangliangzuo (first from the right) Looking back on China's modern history, Chinese Catholicism has always been tied up with the colonial aggression of Western powers. The Sino French Huangpu Treaty of 1844 and the Sino French Tianjin Treaty of 1858 both involved missionary provisions. In 1860, the missionaries, taking advantage of their translation, added the provision that French missionaries were allowed to rent and buy land to build churches in various provinces to the Chinese text of the Sino French Beijing treaty without authorization. The spread of Catholicism reached the mainland of China. At the same time, the Holy See abolished Portugal's right to protect the church in China and officially recognized France's right to protect the church in China. After gaining the right to protect the church, France deeply tied religion with politics and diplomacy, and regarded Catholicism as a tool of aggression. Moreover, France and other Western powers often used religious cases for diplomatic intervention, even military intervention, and constantly violated China's sovereignty. After the Boxer Movement, people of insight in the Chinese Catholic community proposed that the Chinese Church should be managed by the Chinese people to realize the independence and autonomy of the church. In 1912, Catholic clergy wangjinren and others prepared to establish the "Chinese Catholic Association" to try to manage the church with Chinese priests. In 1919, Catholics in Tianjin, Shanghai and other places proposed that Chinese bishops should preside over the religious affairs of the diocese. In 1926, six Chinese bishops were consecrated. However, in the following 20 years, the appointment of Chinese bishops progressed slowly, and most of the dioceses were still in the hands of foreign missionaries. Moreover, the dioceses managed by Chinese bishops are separated from those managed by foreign bishops. They are all dioceses with poor economic conditions, few members, low status and little influence. Foreign bishops are not willing to give up their own diocese, and they also hinder the appointment of Chinese bishops on the grounds that the quality of Chinese Clergy is not enough. The localization process of Chinese Catholicism is hampered by many obstacles. In 1946, the Vatican established diplomatic relations with the Kuomintang government. At this time, the Vatican deeply participated in the anti communist movement and treated communism with an extremely hostile attitude. It carried out its anti communist policy in China through western missionaries. At that time, the Catholic believers were not familiar with the Communist Party of China. Their understanding of the Communist Party mainly came from the propaganda of the Holy See and the Kuomintang government. They also lacked understanding of the Communist Party's religious policy. As a result, the Chinese Catholic Church fell into a difficult crisis. This difficult situation calls for Chinese Catholics to blaze a new path with courage and wisdom. In 1950, a group of ordinary believers and their priests from the rural areas of Guangyuan, Sichuan, explored a path for the independent development of Chinese Catholicism. Guangyuan is located in the north of Sichuan, surrounded by mountains and beautiful scenery. In the northeast of Zhaohua District, there is a provincial-level National Forest Park Qifeng gorge. In the park, there is a small temple mountain Catholic Church, which was founded by French missionaries in 1901. In 1948, a young man named wangliangzuo was consecrated as a priest and came to xiaosishan church to work. The young priest was born in 1920 in a poor Catholic peasant family in Wangjiawan, Bolin Township, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province. He has two uncles who are clergy. He was the fourth in his family. His second and third brothers followed the Red Army North to resist Japan in 1935 and died bravely. Father wangliangzuo was educated in church schools and monasteries since childhood, so he naturally embarked on the path of clergy. Xiaosishan church. It made Father Wang Liangzuo realize that the church should stand on its own feet, which originated from the events he had seen and heard. Sichuan, where wangliangzuo lived, was a key area for Catholic missionary work and invasion by foreign powers, resulting in frequent occurrence of large-scale and wide-ranging religious cases. After the founding of new China, while adhering to the policy of freedom of religious belief, the party and government also demanded that religion be cut off from imperialism. Premier Zhou Enlai has repeatedly stressed that "China's religion should be run by the Chinese people" and "we should help religious figures cut off their relationship with imperialism and help them" run their own religion, act and sing by themselves, and do not want foreigners to preach ". The party and the government made it clear that they would not rely on administrative orders or use simple policies to deal with religious issues, but "give appropriate support from the side" and strive for the transformation and awakening of religious groups with active unity. The Jiange prefectural Party committee and the United Front Work Department of Guangyuan County Party committee actively publicized the party's religious policy to Catholics and pointed out to believers the fact that imperialism used religion to invade and enslave China. Many truths that had been covered up in the past surfaced. The new atmosphere of new China and the Communist Party of China's policy of freedom of religious belief have greatly shocked and educated father Wang Liangzuo and the majority of religious believers. On november30,1950, father wangliangzuo held a signing Conference for the Guangyuan Catholic independent reform movement at xiaosishan church, calling on everyone to support national policies with practical actions and establish a new church for Chinese people to "self govern, self support and autobiography". The declaration of the independent innovation movement signed at the meeting was drafted by fellow believer sunkeqiang, copied on a red silk, and finally signed by more than 500 people. The declaration accused the imperialists of using Catholicism as a tool to invade China. After the founding of new China, it even burned the flames of war to the northeast border. It called on the believers to stand in the position of patriotism and love the people, cut off all links with the imperialists, establish a new church of "autonomy, self-reliance and autobiography", and support the country in resisting US aggression and aiding Korea. After the declaration was issued, it was quickly valued and supported by all sectors of the country. Xinhua Daily published the full text of the declaration. People's Daily published an editorial and highly praised it. Catholic churches all over the country responded and issued a declaration on the independent reform movement. The Catholic independent reform movement thus developed into a national movement. A crisis for the survival of Chinese Catholics triggered by foreign invaders has been successfully transformed into a new development opportunity. A new form of Catholic Church, which has completely got rid of the colonial and semi colonial status and is independently run by Chinese Catholics, came into being. On november30,1990, at the 40th anniversary meeting of the Chinese Catholic anti imperialist patriotic movement, father wangliangzuo reviewed the imperialist aggression and harm against China with Catholicism as a tool in the more than 100 years since the Opium War. Father Lei Mingyuan once had a famous saying: China belongs to the Chinese people. This natural and self-evident truth needs repeated emphasis and the struggle between blood and fire, which is undoubtedly the most vivid footnote in China's more than 100 years of modern history. When the Chinese people won the victory against imperialism and feudalism, the Chinese Catholicism also followed the victory of the Chinese people and embarked on the road of self-reliance and innovation. Not only did China belong to the Chinese people, but the Chinese Catholicism also became the Catholicism of the Chinese people. Father wangliangzuo, a pioneer of the Chinese Catholic independent innovation movement, later served successively as chairman of Sichuan Catholic Patriotic Association, member of the Standing Committee of Sichuan Provincial People's Congress, executive vice chairman of China Catholic Patriotic Association and member of the National Committee of the Chinese people's Political Consultative Conference. He died in 1997. Xiaosishan church, the birthplace of the Catholic independent reform movement, stands on the land of northern Sichuan and is also inscribed in the history of Catholicism in China. (outlook new era)
Edit：Yuanqi Tang Responsible editor：Xiao Yu
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