In China the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, during the Yuan Dynasty (1260-1368), all religions enjoyed a wide tolerance on the part of Mongol rule. In fact, all religions have the same freedom of action. The fall of the Yuan dynasty and the advent of the Ming (1368-1644) we are witnessing the return of a strong nationalist reaction with the consequent condemnation of all unorthodox doctrines that "undermined the moral, political and social Confucian." They had to wait until the sixteenth century to ennoble the eyes of Chinese, European culture and that by the Jesuit fathers. These Western religious fascinated the Chinese court with their great technical and scientific expertise, and had the award in recognition "of the Office Calendar "and a more conciliatory attitude towards the Christian religion. It was only after the ascent to the throne of Emperor Kangxi (1662-1722) of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), in 1692 that the Chinese were granted freedom of religion and the missionaries permission to practice Christian rituals in their churches.
This grand opening of the emperor towards religions outside of China gave birth to the race to the evangelization of this great country and the consequent loss of "hegemony" of the Society of Jesus in favor of other orders, particularly the many Dominicans and Franciscans who reached China. The coexistence of different orders and different strategies and methods of evangelization triggered the disastrous quaestio de ritibus sinensibus .
The strategy of the Jesuits, set by Matteo Ricci (1552-1610), was to capture the hearts of the Chinese, especially intellectuals and the nobility, adapting to local customs, using the Chinese language in so cultured and allowing Chinese converts to continue to practice the Confucian rites and those in honor of ancestors. Jesuit missionaries also exploited these Chinese terms to describe Christian concepts and attitude assonant on the fundamental principles of Confucian doctrine. The
Dominican and Franciscan orders, however, is addressed primarily to the uneducated people who had little knowledge of Confucian principles and approach to the traditional rites of type, all too often superstitious. This earned him the prosecution, by the latter, to the Jesuits to teach a "corrupt and degenerate version of Christianity, therefore intolerable."
These differences existed within the Society of Jesus in China long before the arrival of the mendicant orders. So do not count against the Dominicans and the Franciscans the opening of this dispute that will lead to the decree of Pope Innocent X in 1645 that prevented, in fact, all Christians to participate in these rituals. Following the Jesuits, to plead their cause, they turned to his successor, Alexander XII, who, in 1669, another decree, which abolished the previous year, made even more paradoxical situation.
To define the question you have to wait Pope Clement XI and his decree of 1704, Cum Deus optimum , who imposed the missionaries and Chinese Catholics, the prohibition of Confucian rites and subsequent Ex illa die that renewed this prohibition. It is precisely to provoke the wrath of the emperor Kangxi who threatened to hunt all Western religious empire, which for fear of retaliation stopped to administer the sacraments left to their own local converts. With the death of Emperor Kangxi and the ascent to the throne of his son Yongzheng (1723-1735) Christians suffer harsh repression and despite the work of the Franciscan Purificação da Rocha Froese, Bishop of Beijing, to mitigate the situation, by imperial decree are revoked permits for missionaries, except the court, and all the churches become buildings for public use. Nevertheless in 1742 the uncompromising Pope Benedict XIV promulgated the Ex Quo Singular confirming Ex illa die and ending the dispute over the rites.
It was not until 1939 that the Holy See, and only after the Chinese government has confirmed the simple civil rites, since the prohibition is removed with education Plane compertum east (December 8, 1939 ) of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide :
"It is clear that some ceremony in the East despite having been previously linked to pagan rituals believe now, given the changes in habits and thinking through the centuries, a purely civilian filial piety toward ancestors, love of country and respect for fellow citizens. "
The post is one of my development of a text drawn from a study Calvaresi signed by Elisa on "Memoirs of Liturgical Magazine" which refer to any depth.
Paul Raccagni
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