Authorities Take Measures To Prevent Pilgrimage to Catholic Shrine

Authorities in Shanghai have implemented measures to prevent Catholic pilgrims from visiting the Marian Shrine of Sheshan during the month of May, according to notices from Chinese government and state-controlled church authorities, as well as reports from overseas media organizations. May is the period during which Catholics observe Marian month, and last year, in an open letter to Catholics in China (via the Vatican Web site), Pope Benedict XVI mentioned the significance of the Sheshan Shrine to the occasion. In addition, he called for May 24 to serve as a day for Catholics throughout the world "to be united in prayer" with Catholics in China. According to the sources, Chinese church authorities advised registered church members in the Shanghai diocese, where the shrine is located, to avoid gathering at the shrine in May, while the local public security bureau instituted traffic restrictions en route to the shrine, and church authorities outside Shanghai urged Catholics not to make pilgrimages to other provinces during the month. Sources cited in an April 24 article from AsiaNews attributed the measures to government sensitivity over relations with the Vatican, while some sources also drew a link to recent protests in Tibetan areas of China. A May 5 AsiaNews article noted that the measures also aimed to block pilgrims from registered Catholic churches from interacting with those from unregistered churches.

Several notices from Chinese government and state-controlled church authorities outline instructions and measures that hinder access to the shrine. An April 23 notice posted on the Shanghai Diocese Web site states that the diocese will not invite parishioners from outside the area to visit the shrine and tells local Catholics that "it would be best not to assemble" at the shrine during May, citing concerns about overcrowding and safety. Local residents who wish to visit the shrine must contact the diocese in advance of their visit. A notice posted April 21 on the Shanghai Public Security Bureau Songjiang Branch Web site restricts traffic to the shrine to specified hours daily between April 30 and May 25, citing the need to ensure the safety and orderliness of large-scale activities. It also outlines additional restrictions at the beginning of this period, coinciding with the Labor Day holidays, and on May 24. In addition, an April 3 directive issued by the state-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) and Catholic Bishops Conference and cited in a May 2 Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN) report instructs Catholics throughout China to go on local pilgrimages during May rather than make pilgrimages to other provinces. The directive, reportedly the first of its kind to address May pilgrimage activities, also instructs prospective pilgrims to abide by appropriate requirements should they travel to other provinces. A CPA official cited in the article explained the preventative measures by observing that "if any accidents or troubles occurred, the Catholic Church would be discredited."

Sources cited by overseas media have reported receiving various instructions on visiting the shrine. One member of a registered parish in Hangzhou city, cited in a May 1 report from UCAN, was told not to visit the shrine anytime before the Olympic games in August, while another person from Hangzhou said his parish members were able to travel to the shrine before the May restrictions were imposed. Another source was instructed to avoid the shrine only on May 24. The various restrictions resulted in fewer than half the number of pilgrims visiting the shrine in early May than in the previous year, according to a May 7 UCAN report.

The restrictions reflect broader controls over religion in China and tensions over religious communities with overseas religious ties. For more information on religion in China, see Section II--Freedom of Religion in the CECC 2007 Annual Report (via the Government Printing Office Web site).