” “As to any Episcopal ordination made with the same methods, the Holy See “insists on the need to respect the freedom of the Church and the independence of its bodies from any external interference, and deeply wishes that such unacceptable acts of violent and blameworthy duress will not occur ever again”. “The Holy See reads on the statement closely follows the troubled journey of the Catholic Church in China, and, although aware of some peculiarities of such journey, it thought and hoped such blameworthy events belonged to the past”. As to the future progress of the relations between the Holy See and China, the message specifies that the Vatican side “now deems it its duty to give voice to the grief of the whole Catholic Church, especially that of the Catholic community in China and especially that of the bishops and priests who are obliged against their will to perform or take part in Episcopal ordinations which neither the candidates or the consecrating bishops want to perform without the Papal mandate”. While insisting “it is willing to engage in an honest and proactive dialogue with the Chinese authorities concerned in order to find solutions to the satisfaction of both parties”, the Holy See specifies that “such initiatives as the foregoing not only do not promote such dialogue, but they actually create new obstacles against it”.
