On Thursday, Mr. Gary Caruso took a fairly routine act by the Chinese government and used it to fashion a broad indictment of Pope John Paul II. Indeed, Mr. Caruso even asks for the Pope's retirement!

These latest appointments of Catholic bishops by China are merely the latest shots in a long-drawn battle over control of organized religion in China. The Chinese government has a policy of maintaining control over religions. The most famous of these government-appointed religious leaders are the anti-Lamas routinely appointed as foils to the real Dalai Lama. Witness also the allergy of the Chinese government to the Falun Gong movement. So, appointment of Chinese bishops not recognized by the Vatican should not be seen as any sign of weakness on the part of our Pope. The Chinese government will do this as a matter of policy no matter who is Pope. The only way to for this to stop is with a major restructuring of the Chinese government.

What's more, Mr. Caruso goes on to say that these appointments threaten the very survival of Catholicism in all of Asia. In so doing, he makes the common error in thinking that China is Asia and that Asia is China. He also forgets that the vast majority of Catholics in Asia are in the Philippines. Catholicism will go on very nicely in Asia with or without Chinese intervention.

Pope John Paul has done more than any Pope to make the Catholic Church a truly universal Church. He should not be judged on the basis of extremely weak extrapolations based on one news item.

Luis F. Razon 1981, 1985

January 31, 2000

• We were left in the cold
  
• Call for Pope to resign is wrong
  
• "Uninformed atheism is perhaps the most blind faith of all"
  
• Don't condemn other's beliefs
  
• `Problem of Evil' is not sufficient to
  
• Free Will is worth the price of evil on Earth
  
• Sophomore Sibs Weekend cancellation unfair, unfounded