ROME, JULY 16, 2007 ( Zenit.org).- The reaction to Benedict XVI's letter to the Church in China has been very positive among the faithful and bishops, said Cardinal Tracisio Bertone.
The Vatican secretary of state spoke with the SIR news agency about the June 30 papal letter, in which the Pope launched a call for unity and reconciliation in that Asian country.
"It's extraordinary the movement of meditation and reflection, especially through the Internet, of the official patriotic and underground communities," Cardinal Bertone affirmed.
In the interview, the Vatican official said that "in addressing China, we considered the moral design of Confucianism, which has roots that are in some way close to those of Christianity. Confucius said man is either a moral being or not truly a man."
"The great tradition of Confucius: morality," Cardinal Bertone contended. "The natural moral law is objectively insufficient, not only in relationship with the totality of the salvific plan of God in Jesus Christ, but also in the order of the social life both in the sphere of the state and the civil community and in the religious sphere."
"From the Chinese institutions," he added, "we don't yet have clear signs, and we are waiting. We are in a moment of reflection and rethinking."
ZE07071607 - 2007-07-16