Faith may be a private matter, but the Chinese government takes no chances. The Chinese Constitution guarantees every citizen the freedom to practice whatever religion he or she chooses. In practice, however, every religion has to subordinate itself to the Chinese Communist Party. The power holders in Beijing are unwilling to risk having their authority eroded or usurped; for them, there is no distinction between those things to be rendered unto Caesar and those reserved for God.
The Chinese government's refusal to grant its citizens real freedom was made manifest again this week during recriminations over the Catholic Church's decision to canonize 120 Catholics killed in China. Pope John Paul II declared the 120 people -- 87 of whom were Chinese Catholics and the rest foreign missionaries -- martyrs because they died for the faith. Most were killed in the Boxer Rebellion, an anti-Western, anti-Christian uprising that took place 100 years ago.
Beijing condemned the decision, declaring it a Vatican plot to meddle in the country's internal affairs. The media denounced the crimes committed by foreign missionaries in China, a list that includes selling opium, helping open the country to foreign influence and facilitating its subsequent division among the competing powers. To add insult to injury, the canonization was performed on Oct. 1, China's National Day, a move that spokesmen said "seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people." (The Vatican explained that the ceremony took place then because it marks the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, patron saint of missionaries.)