History of the Faith in Asian Country is Marked by Persecutions
ROME, SEPT. 27, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- The upcoming canonization of 120 China martyrs has triggered sharp criticism from Beijing and brought to focus the hard history that Christianity has faced in the world's most populous country.
Christianity' presence in China has been marked by periods of growth - and violent persecutions.
The faith first appeared in China, under the guise of Nestorianism, in 635. The heresy was abolished by decree in 845.
The first Catholic mission in Beijing was founded by Italian Franciscan Giovanni de Montecorvino in 1234. He baptized thousands and founded three churches. Other Franciscan missionaries, including bishops, arrived in 1300. By then, Catholics numbered 30,000.
In 1549 Ignatius of Loyola sent Francis Xavier to China. By 1600, 25 Jesuit missionaries were in China, along with 22 Franciscans, two Augustinians and a Dominican.
Missionaries in China were a select group. In addition to their spirit of faith and love, they were chosen for their cultural talents and scientific know-how, particularly in astronomy and mathematics. Thanks to the missionaries, the Chinese calendar was corrected.
The missionaries' cultural and scientific qualifications opened many doors to them, and the quality of their religious life led many upper class people to convert.
The first martyrs died in 1648. After being imprisoned and tortured, Dominican Father Francisco Fernandez de Capillas was decapitated while praying the rosary with several others. The Holy See has recognized him as a protomartyr of China.
Thanks to the missionaries' culture and scientific knowledge, emperor K'ang Hsi (1654-1722) decreed religious liberty, opening the empire further to evangelization.
However, the relation between China and Christianity ran into its worst problem with the famous debate over «Chinese rites.» Some of the missionaries condemned the rites offered by the Chinese to their ancestors, as well as other superstitions. In the first decade of the 18th century, this controversy caused a wave of persecutions against missionaries and lay faithful; the latter were killed and their churches destroyed. The same phenomenon occurred in the 19th century.
Persecution was harsh in the 1796-1820 period. Among the era's many martyrs was Augustine Tchao, a soldier who helped escort Bishop Jean Gabriel Taurin Dufresse of the Foreign Missions of Paris.
Tchao was so impressed by the bishop's patience that he asked to become a convert. Once baptized, he was sent to the seminary and eventually was ordained a priest. During the persecution he was arrested and cruelly tortured before being put to death.
After China's military defeat by England, there were several decrees in favor of religious liberty. In 1844 the Chinese were allowed to profess the Catholic faith and, in 1846, the former penalties against Catholics were abolished. The Church lived in the open and carried out its mission.
By 1907 China had 1 million Catholics. Three large Catholic universities were founded, as well as a meteorological center, day-care centers, orphanages and high-level cultural institutes.
Turn-of-the-century violence led to new persecution. The Boxer Rebellion, organized by a Chinese secret society that detested foreigners, caused the death of many Christians. Other secret groups who shared the same hatreds joined the rebellion.
Fueling the persecution of the missionaries was the Boxers' hatred of Christianity. A decree dated July 1, 1900, put an end to good relations with missionaries and Christians. The former had to leave and the latter were given the choice between apostasy and death. Massacres soon erupted.
Among the numerous martyrs was Jesuit Father Leo Magin. A Frenchman, he was sent to the Tchou-kia-ho mission, a village of some 400 inhabitants, which grew to 3,000 as a result of the Boxers' persecution.
Father Magin first fortified the village, but the Boxers overturned the barricades and invaded. Father Magin was in the church, protecting the women and children who had sought refuge there. He and another priest, Father Paul Denn, dressed in their priestly vestments and went to the altar; the congregation was kneeling in prayer.
In midmorning the Boxers knocked down the church doors, promising life to anyone who denied the faith. Very few people apostatized. The two priests, and virtually the entire congregation, were massacred.
Zenit - The World Seen From Rome