On July 25, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association [CCPA] celebrated it 50th anniversary with an event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. It was a significant occasion for the government agency charged with overseeing China’s Catholics, and it was well-attended by a coteries of high-ranking government officials. Among them was Jia Qinglin, the Chairman of the [largely symbolic] Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and the fourth-ranking member of the all-powerful [and not symbolic at all] Politburo Standing Committee of of the Communist Party of China.
Jia’s attendance may have been reported elsewhere. But my knowledge comes from a UCAN account that ran on August 10. Whatever the case, the importance of Jia’s attendance should not be underestimated. In China, subtle gestures by powerful officials are often the best – and only – indications of high-ranking support for important policies, agencies, or officials. In this case, Jia’s attendance at the 50th anniversary events can and likely should be taken as an indication of the Politburo’s support for the continued existence of the CPA, long-standing its goal of an independent Catholic Church, and its controversial leader, Liu Bainian (who has long been rumored to have friends in very high places). For those hoping for rapprochement between Beijing and the Vatican partly on the basis of a dis-empowered CPA – this is not good news. Then again, it’s worth noting that Jia is widely expected to retire this year, likely at the time of the 17th Party Congress this fall. So, depending upon the relationships – and in China, it’s all about the relationships – Jia’s attendance and apparent patronage may not mean so much, after all.