There are two Churches, yes, using the name Catholic, not two “branches” of the One True Church. One church is in union with Rome and, therefore, Roman Catholic. The other is not in union with Rome and is subservient to the government controlled Catholic Patriotic Association. This church is not part of the Catholic Church. For more information on this matter I refer you to the links below, which open to the relevant articles from the Cardinal Kung Foundation. Furthermore, Asia News seems to downplay the ongoing intensity of the Communist persecution, especially in regard to those underground clergy who are in prison today. Underground priests and bishops are still being arrested, even though the bishops are very old. As of 2007, only thirty-one underground bishops were alive. Twenty of them were over eighty years old. Six were between seventy and eighty. Only five were under seventy. Several of these bishops have since died and others are now too feeble to exercise their ministry. Only a few months after the Holy Father’s Letter to the Church in China was published in China in June 2007, the Communist government had the body of Bishop Han Dingxiang of Yong Nian, who had died under mysterious circumstances (no cause of death released) during his eighth year in prison, immediately cremated and buried, so that he would not receive a proper funeral Mass. The last time Rome approved the consecration of an underground bishop was around the year 2000.
1) March 28, 2000 http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/cpa/openletter2.html
2) Autumn 2007
http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/articles/newsletter/autumn_greetings2007.htm similarities of pope’s letter and CKF open letter
3) Christmas 2005: A secret profession of faith is a contradiction in terms
http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/articles/newsletter/christmas_greetings2005.htm
4) December 2008 newsletter: Letters from the underground Roman Catholic Church in China
http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/articles/newsletter/christmas_greetings2008.htm
5) July 2001 Cardinal Tomko and Cardinal Law – regarding two churches are the same church
http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/articles/newsletter/let01jul.htm
6) Christmas 2001 Cardinal tomko and Cardinal Law (second installment)
http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/articles/newsletter/let01xms.htm
Asia News does admit that there are two churches in China in the following paragraph of Father Cervellera’s article:
“At the same time, Beijing does not seem to prevent new Episcopal ordinations approved by the Vatican (as in the case of Xiamen, Hohhot, Haimen). But it makes sure that excommunicated bishops are included among concelebrating bishops, thus making unity with the underground faithful increasingly difficult, while at the same time making a clear gesture of contempt towards the Pope. Only last March, the China-Vatican Commission released a text which stated that “Chinese bishops have the full dignity and responsibility of leading the Catholic community, they should avoid actions that go against communion with the Pope, such as Episcopal ordinations, concelebrations and public meetings with illegitimate bishops”. (my emphasis) Full article is here.
