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By Root 260 0

Three-Self patriotic churches and underground house churches. After the service, I went to the local office of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association to ask about joining the church. The priest seemed suspicious. Why did I want to become a member of the church? He explained to me the Party’s policy on religion and the principles of self-governance, self-support, and self-propagation. He emphasized the need to be patriotic. I asked about the Vatican. He said. “Our Chinese church has nothing to do with the Vatican. They have no control over us.” With that, he resumed his lecturing and told me about the application process. “It’s good that you want to join the church,” he said, “but you have to get a recommendation from your university. Then your application will be reviewed by the church. Then it has to be approved by the local Religious Affairs Bureau. Your file will be kept there.” He went on and on. I found it ludicrous. So I interrupted him, “Didn’t you just tell me that everyone is equal and we have freedom of religion in this country?” The priest became defensive, “Of course, we have freedom of faith in this country. You just need to go through the proper channels. Why don’t you buy a copy of the Bible and read it. Then think it over.”

I started reading the Bible he sold me when I got home. It was so disappointing. It was an abridged version, and at the back was an organizational chart putting the Communist Party’s Religious Affairs Bureau on top, the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association beneath it, and then farther down, the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China, and then bishops, priests, and so forth. It was strange to see that within the church hierarchy, the Communist Party was the big boss. Not God? I went back to the office and asked for a refund. The receptionist said the priest was out and that I should come back later. I was furious and was venting my anger near the entrance to the building, when a woman came up to me and said, “Don’t bother trying to get a refund. You should toss it.” This was my first meeting with Teacher Bai, my mentor. She lent me her copy of the Bible and said, “If you want to be a true child of the Lord, you should stay away from here. The Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association is satanic.”

Teacher Bai led me to her house. Several people were holding a Mass there and it was approaching the end. She introduced me to everyone: “We have a new sister who is suffering. Let’s pray for her.” About a dozen women recited the Novena Rose Prayer for me. Since then, each time I run into problems in life, I chant the Novena Rose.

Liao: Are you still with your mentor?

Liu: No. She was arrested soon after I met her. She got seven years on charges of conducting illegal religious activities. The government has raided many house churches in Chengdu since the late 1990s. Several leaders of the underground churches have been locked up because they pledged loyalty to the Vatican, not the Communist Party. Many underground leaders try to maintain contact with the Vatican through secret channels. It’s a long story. Anyhow, before Teacher Bai was arrested, she introduced me to Father Zhang Gangyi, and at Easter in 1993 I went to Zhangerce Village in Gaoling County, Shaanxi province, and was baptized by Father Zhang. He was eighty-six and his Christian name was Anthony. I hope you will always remember this name.

Liao: Why’s that?

Liu: Because he inspired a new generation of Catholics like me. I hope to write a book about his life someday.

Liao: I only know of Cardinal Gong Pingmei, who was arrested in the 1950s for refusing to renounce the Vatican and recognize the government-sanctioned church. He was sentenced to thirty years. In the late 1970s, while he was still in prison, the pope secretly appointed him cardinal and made the appointment public in 1991. There was an article in the international section of the People’s Daily about the Foreign Ministry accusing the Vatican of meddling in China’s internal affairs. The appointment was only publicized after the cardinal moved to the United