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Elise Allen, CRUX:

"Thank you for being with us this evening. Yesterday at the Congress, you spoke about the importance of religious freedom. As you know, on the same day, the president of China arrived in the city, where there has been great concern about this issue for so long, especially now with the trial that is going forward against Cardinal Zen. Do you consider the trial against him a violation of religious freedom?"

To understand China takes a century... 

and we do not live for a century. 

The Chinese mentality is a rich mentality, and when it gets a little sick, it loses its richness, it is capable of making mistakes. In order to understand, we have chosen the path of dialogue, open to dialogue.

There is a bilateral Vatican-Chinese commission that is going well. Slowly, because the Chinese pace is slow, they have an eternity to go forward: they are a people of endless patience. 

From the experiences we had before: we think of the Italian missionaries who went there, and were respected as scholars. Think also today, so many priests or believers who are called on by Chinese universities, because this gives value to the culture. 

It is not easy to understand the Chinese mentality, but it should be respected, I always respect this. And here, in the Vatican, there is a dialogue commission that is going well, chaired by Cardinal Parolin and he is the person right now who knows the most about China and dialogue with the Chinese. 

It is a slow process... 

but steps forward are always being made.

Qualifying China as undemocratic...

I do not identify with that, because it's such a complex country... 

Yes, it is true that there are things that seem undemocratic to us, that is true. Cardinal Zen is going to trial these days, I think. And he says what he feels, and you can see that there are limitations there. More than qualifying, because it is difficult, and I do wish to qualify, they are impressions, and I try to support the path of dialogue.

Then, in the dialogue you clarify many things, and not only about the Church, also about other areas.0 For example the extent of China, the governors of the provinces, who are all diverse. There are different cultures within China, it is a giant, and understanding China is an enormous thing. 

But you do not have to lose patience, it takes a lot, but we have to go with dialogue, I try to refrain from qualifying it... but let us go forward.

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Elise Allen

“What about Xi Jinping?”

He had a State visit there, but I did not see him.

[bron]