The Pope and China. Chiaretto Yan (Shanghai), “He loved our country. He was China’s Pope”

“I was on my way to the seminary when, around 4pm on Monday, I received a call from a friend who asked me with a tearful voice, ‘Is it true that Pope Francis has died?’ Soon after, my phone was flooded with messages and calls, including on social media and WeChat groups. I immediately checked the Internet and saw that the news had been published by Vatican News”. Speaking to SIR from Shanghai, Chiaretto Yan describes the moment the news of Pope Francis’ death reached China. Yan lives in Shanghai. He teaches at St Joseph’s University in Macau, at the National Seminary in Beijing and at the diocesan seminary in the same city. He has written a book entitled “My Chinese Dream: Gettare un Ponte tra l’Est e l’Ovest – Speranze, Sfide e Opportunità” (My Chinese Dream: Building a Bridge between East and West – Hopes, Challenges and Opportunities). “The news of Pope Francis’ death spread quickly throughout China,” he said. The Xinhua News Agency, CCTV and several official Chinese media outlets published brief reports with headlines such as ‘Pope Francis of Rome has died’ or ‘Pope Francis dies at the age of 88’. Other media outlets such as Phoenix TV, Global Times and The Observer Network (Guancha.cn) published in-depth reports with headlines such as ‘A voice for the voiceless’, ‘Pope Francis has died, he said not to be afraid of China’, ‘Pope Francis has died, leaders of many countries are in mourning’ and also ‘Pope Francis’ testimony has been published’. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has also expressed its condolences over Pope Francis’ death, Yan said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said: “In recent years, China and the Vatican have enjoyed friendly exchanges and constructive interactions. China is ready to engage in joint efforts with the Vatican for the continuous improvement of China-Vatican relations.”

 

Professor Yan, how did the country react to the Pope’s death?

The news spread immediately throughout China, especially among Catholics. Most people were shocked.

Messages of grief, sorrow, prayers, condolences and gratitude for this Pope. I received and exchanged messages with friends of other faiths, including young people, professors, Protestants, entrepreneurs and government officials. They all praised Pope Francis and shared their feelings of admiration for him. In a way, his hospitalisation a month ago helped prepare us for this. Many non-Christian friends expressed their deep concern for Francis’ health. They share our sorrow at the loss of a great man for the entire world.

Who was Pope Francis for Chinese Catholics?

Chinese Catholics saw Pope Francis as a humble man deeply concerned about the poor and the cause of social justice. He was courageous, open to challenges and with a vision for the future. Although sometimes he was not understood fully, his efforts to help the Chinese Church in China to move forward from the past to its higher calling were commendable. I will always remember his blessing and words of encouragement in a personal letter to me to “promote dialogue on the paths of reconciliation and peace.”

Could you remind us of the most important steps that the Pope has taken with regard to China, the Chinese Catholics and their bishops?

Pope Francis was elected Pope on 13 March 2013. Just one day later, Xi Jinping was elected President of China. At the time, relations between China and the Holy See were strained. There had even been talk of excommunication for some Chinese bishops.

But just one year into his pontificate, in 2014, under Pope Franci’ lead, the Vatican and China resumed official contacts.

In October 2014, Pope Francis became the first pope to be authorised to fly over Chinese airspace during his apostolic journey to Korea. In 2016, the two parties exchanged messages on the appointment of bishops, and on 22 September 2018, the Holy See and China signed a ‘Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops’, the first of which has been renewed three times. The visit of Pope Francis to Mongolia in 2023, accompanied by Cardinal Tong and Cardinal Chow of Hong Kong, also marked an important milestone. During the visit, Pope Francis said that Chinese Catholics should be good Christians and good citizens without contradiction, and offered his best wishes for prosperity and progress to the Chinese people. In 2023 and 2014, two Chinese bishops participated in the World Synods of Bishops on Synodality in Rome. The latter was the first time that the two bishops participated for the whole Synod period.

These are key events that have paved the path of dialogue…

Indeed. In fact, relations between China and the Holy See have improved considerably since the year 2018. All Chinese bishops are now recognised by the Holy See, while the Chinese government has officially recognised some “underground” bishops. During his 12-year pontificate, Pope Francis made several apostolic journeys to Asia and flew over China on several occasions. The Pope truly believed that China was a great country capable of dialogue that transcended the different institutional systems. He expressed his admiration and respect for China. He made gestures of friendship towards China, often said he hoped to visit China, and praised China’s “great culture” and “infinite wisdom.”

Pope Francis has long hoped to visit China.

What are China’s expectations from his successor? What is the legacy of Pope Francis?

China expects his successor to pursue the path of dialogue and meetings initiated by Pope Francis, with a view to closer ties and normalisation of relations with China. Much can be said about the legacy of Pope Francis. He was the Pope of the people. He loved China and he was the Pope of China. His dream of visiting China did not come true. The same dream remains unfulfilled for us Chinese Catholics, but we should not dwell on his passing.

I think of Pope Francis smiling down on us from heaven, saying, “Why are you crying down there? I am here with you in China!”