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Chinese Government Forbids Catholic Seminaries to Teach against Abortion Says Congressional Report

Blocked Internet Discussion of New Pope

WASHINGTON, October 19, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Congressional-Executive Commission on China released its 2005 Annual Report last week, which detailed a myriad of deplorable human rights abuses routinely committed by the Chinese regime.  The Commission, created by Congress in October 2000 with the legislative mandate to monitor human rights and the development of the rule of law in China, reports that "The Chinese government monitors and inspects registered seminaries, where it is forbidden to teach anything contrary to Party policy, including Catholic moral teaching on abortion, euthanasia, contraception, and divorce."

Released on October 11, the report notes that the Chinese government interferes in the selection of Catholic bishops, a prerogative reserved to the Pope. 

The Commission, consisting of nine Senators, nine members of the House of Representatives, and five senior Administration officials appointed by the President, reports that the transition between Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI was granted "perfunctory  recognition by granting the events minimal media coverage," but added that "public security officials also increased harassment of Catholics, detaining 13 clerics."   Moreover, the report indicates that "Chinese authorities also blocked discussion of the transition (between Popes) on domestic and international Web sites."

The Congressional report also notes that "The Chinese government continues to maintain a coercive population control policy that violates internationally recognized human rights standards in three ways. First, the Population and Family Planning Law limits the number of children that women may bear.  Second, this law coerces compliance by penalizing women who illegally bear a child with a ''social compensation fee,'' a fine that often exceeds an average family's annual income.  Third, although physical coercion to ensure compliance with population control requirements is illegal in China, reports persist of local officials using physical coercion to ensure compliance, and in one case Chinese officials attempted to physically coerce a visiting Hong Kong woman to have an abortion."

Those local officials are encouraged in their extremism by the fact that "Local officials who fail to meet provincial and central government birth rate targets face loss of bonuses and denial of promotions."

After finding these and a host of other abuses, the commission found "no improvement overall in human rights conditions in China over the past year, and increased government restrictions on Chinese citizens who worship in state-controlled venues or write for state-controlled publications." 

However the commission was not apologetic for its report noting that it is for the good of China and its inhabitants that the truth come out and the needed reforms take place. "This is an honest report that takes a comprehensive look at human rights and rule of law in China," said Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), the Commission's Chairman. "China's leaders will not achieve their long-term goal of social stability and continued economic development without building a future that includes human rights for all Chinese citizens. China's development will impact all of Asia, and the world. Respect for human rights must be part of that future," Hagel said.

jhw

See the full report online:
http://www.cecc.gov/pages/annualRpt/annualRpt05/index.php

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