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The Catholic Church in Taiwan: Birth, Growth and Development PDF

278 Pages·2018·4.114 MB·English
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CHRISTIANITY IN MODERN CHINA The Catholic Church in Taiwan Birth, Growth and Development EDITED BY FRANCIS K.H. SO; BEATRICE K.F. LEUNG; ELLEN MARY MYLOD Christianity in Modern China Series Editor Cindy Yik-yi Chu Hong Kong Baptist University Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong This series addresses Christianity in China from the time of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties to the present.It includes a number of disciplines—history, political science, theology, religious studies, gender studies and sociology. Not only is the series inter-disciplinary, it also encourages inter- religious dialogue. It covers the presence of the Catholic Church, the Protestant Churches and the Orthodox Church in China. While Chinese Protestant Churches have attracted much scholarly and journalistic attention, there is much unknown about the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church in China. There is an enormous demand for monographs on the Chinese Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. This series captures the breathtaking phenomenon of the rapid expansion of Chinese Christianity on the one hand, and the long awaited need to reveal the reality and the development of Chinese Catholicism and the Orthodox religion on the other. Christianity in China reflects on the tre- mendous importance of Chinese-foreign relations. The series touches on many levels of research—the life of a single Christian in a village, a city parish, the conflicts between converts in a province, the policy of the pro- vincial authority and state-to-state relations. It concerns the influence of different cultures on Chinese soil—the American, the French, the Italian, the Portuguese and so on. Contributors of the series include not only people from the academia but journalists and professional writers as well. The series would stand out as a collective effort of authors from different countries and back grounds. Under the influence of globalization, it is entirely necessary to emphasize the inter-cultural dimension of the mono- graphs of the series. With Christianity being questioned in the Western world, as witnessed in the popularity of Dan Brown’s books since some time ago, the Chinese have surprised the world by their embracement of this foreign religion. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/series/14895 Francis K.H. So • Beatrice K.F. Leung Ellen Mary Mylod Editors The Catholic Church in Taiwan Birth, Growth and Development Editors Francis K.H. So Beatrice K.F. Leung Kaohsiung Medical University Wenzao Ursuline University Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC of Languages Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC Ellen Mary Mylod Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC Christianity in Modern China ISBN 978-981-10-6664-1 ISBN 978-981-10-6665-8 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-6665-8 Library of Congress Control Number: 2017962868 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: PjrWindows / Alamy Stock Photo Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21- 01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore To the Catholic Community of the faithful in Taiwan P reface The book is a must read for anyone who wishes to know about the Catholic Church in Taiwan. It offers very rich information about the trajectory of its growth or decline, tracing its distant origin in the seventeenth century before focusing on its eventful path after 1949 when the national govern- ment under the leadership of Chiang Kai-Shek retreated from the Mainland to Taiwan after its defeat in the Civil War by the Chinese Communist Party. The major themes of the book as highlighted by the volume’s editor refer to the historical events, achievements and complex relationships domestically as well as externally. In the latter, both relationships within the Greater China Area and relations between Taiwan and other sovereign states such as the Vatican, Japan and Mainland China are intertwined. The claim that this book is the result of groundbreaking research in English is well justified. It breaks with the tradition of theological and biblical studies. It also breaks, albeit to a lesser degree, with the pattern of single disciplinary treatment, by adopting multiple perspectives, for exam- ple, international relations, sociology, law and tourism. This methodologi- cal break is necessary giving the tensions inherent in the change experienced by the Church in Taiwan over the years. Like many other multiauthors’ works, the style of individual chapters in this volume varies much from author to author. Some readers may find particularly interesting chapters that give thorough details in the descrip- tions of events or about the contributions of key figures, like pioneering priests. The best example is Chap. 3 on “Catholic Church in Taiwan During the Japanese Occupation.” It is the best since it offers, apart from historical details, a succinct and insightful conclusion at the end. vii viii PREFACE There are good analytical chapters for a different type of readers. Wang Chaoli’s chapter on “Wanjin’s Basilica: Church Evangelization Encoun tering Government’s Tourism,” compared to other chapters, covers a much shorter time, that is, from 2011 to 2015. Its research question is very good—“whether the peace and religious spirit of Wanjin Basilica will be affected by commercialism and secularism arising from the escalating demands of tourism.” To guarantee reliable findings to the question, the author triangulates the analysis by transcribing, coding and cross-examining multiple sources of the data. Even more impressive is the acknowledgment whereby the author declares that given her mem- bership in the Church under study and a field researcher, there may be possible bias with respect to his conclusions. Finally, one can regard this volume as a mountain of treasures, as build- ing blocks to weave interesting hypotheses or theories about complex reli- gious or sociopolitically religious relationship centered around the Church of Taiwan. Michael Chuan-sheng Chang, author of Chap. 4 “External Influences on the Emergence of the Catholic Church in Taiwan (1950–1960s),” has employed the concept “kaleidoscopic religious orga- nization” to describe the Church. One can indeed go several steps further, to better recognize the changing nature of the Church under the cross- pressures at several levels, that is, at home, within the region as well as in the world. At the domestic level, the issue pertains to the planting of a foreign religion by the people in a hostile soil. How has the Church been related to society, government and other religions? Alternatively, when and how has the Church succeeded to become a respected, religious insti- tution of the people of Taiwan. Within the parameter of the Asian Pacific region, the pattern of relationship between the Church on the one hand and Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines and the United States is no less complicated. At the world level, this book has also pro- vided its readers plenty food for thought. The membership issue in the United Nations, the geopolitical and strategic value of Taiwan to the national interest of the United States as a world power with global respon- sibility, and the status of Taiwan in the evolving Sino-Vatican détente are by no means stand-alone characteristics, but complicated, ever-changing, co-emerging patterns of relationships. In fact, this defining characteristic of the Catholic Church in Taiwan has never waned. One can indeed go further and imagine a total system consisting of all interactions among these partial, complicate (sub-)systems as a mind-boggling aspect of Taiwan’s life-world, thereby realizing how exciting a scholarly pursuit to PREFAC E ix better understand it must be. In other words, complex systems theory may be the best method to understand the ever-changing Catholic Church in Taiwan. The greatest contribution of the book may lie in its stimulation to nurture meaningful research agenda by other scholars. The Pontifical Academy KUAN, Hsin-chi of Social Sciences, the Vatican a cknowledgments These two volumes The Catholic Church in Taiwan: Birth, Growth and Development and The Catholic Church in Taiwan: Problems and Prospects are the research project of the Catholic Church of Taiwan. The editors would like to thank Professor Cindy Chu, Professor of History, the Baptist University of Hong Kong, the series editor of Christianity in Modern China, for her invitation to contribute to her series. Further special thanks are due to Mr. Leo F. Goodstadt who, all through the process of writing (2014–2017), advised and enriched the chapters written by Beatrice Leung with his unique opinions and suggestions. We thank Sister Fidelis Wang Xiao-feng, OSU, who made valuable con- tributions regarding the addition of Indigenization of Theology and Eastern Spirituality to the research plan and by making the Wenzao con- vent library available for the writing of research papers. Two more Sisters, Angela Chen, OSU, and Agnes Lee Chunjuan, SMIC, made available the rich fruit of their experience in the Taiwan Church: the one regarding the Bridging Endeavor and the other regarding the Inculturation of Spirituality. Their constant support was indeed an encouragement. Finally our sincere thanks are due to the Cardinal Yupin’s Formation Foundation, Fu Jen Catholic University, which donated a grant to cover the minimum expenses of translation and reviewing fees. xi

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