Pope's Death Reminds Us China is Still Communist

While most people around the world are allowed to openly mourn the loss of Pope John Paul II, we are reminded that the world's most populous country forbids Catholics to worship the Church in public. China did not send a delegation to the Vatican for the funeral. Catholics in China are forced to swear loyalty to the Communist Party rather than the Vatican:

"We pray for him alone at home. It is impossible to do anything in public because the Communist Party will not allow it," says a woman identified only as Maria.

"They restrict our activities. They won't let us hold Mass. They won't even let us invite friends and relatives over to pray together at home... "They jailed our village priest several times over the years," she adds.

While there are 117 known cardinals preparing to select the next pope, the number could actually be 118. When John Paul II created new cardinals in 2003, he said he was keeping one name secret, or "in pectore," meaning "in the heart." The name remains secret until the pope announces it or leaves other instructions. This formula has been used when a pope wants to name a cardinal in a country where the church is oppressed, which leads me to believe that there could be an "underground" Chinese cardinal.

Precinct 333 has a great post about who this "unnamed cardinal" could be. Although not considered likely even by the most speculative people, what an irony it would be if history repeated itself and named a pope from another country bound by the chains of communism. Regardless, the Pope's funeral should remind the world that despite economic reforms in China, its citizens are still slaves to the government's beliefs.