THE Church works in mysterious ways. The visit to China by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, has been two years in the making, yet he has kept the Hong Kong Anglican community largely in the dark about his plans. His discussions with the Bishop of Hong Kong, Peter Wong Kwong-kit, have been kept private, and the bishop's office disclaims any knowledge of how Dr Carey expects to conduct himself.
It is possible the Archbishop is waiting to learn what has been arranged for him. That, at least, is the impression he gave when asked briefly yesterday about the subject in a radio interview, in which he said he hoped meetings with members of the unofficial church would be possible. However, it may also be that he has plans to meet representatives of the underground churches and does not want to expose them to the anger of the Chinese authorities. The arrest of a Beijing church committee member on the eve of the visit suggests the authorities are sufficiently concerned to wish to warn him off any controversial contacts.
More worrying is the possibility that Dr Carey already knows his visit will be devoted to the official, state-sanctioned churches and has no illusions about his access to other Christians. If that turns out to be the case, he would have done better to stay away. Giving his stamp of approval to the Government-sanctioned establishment at a time when many thousands of Christians suffer official intimidation and repression would be a breach of the trust placed in him as the leader of a free-world Church.
Dr Carey's sermon in Hong Kong last weekend suggests he has no great desire to rock the Chinese boat. He disappointed many Christians by arguing against aggressive missionary work in countries where proselytising is unwelcome. It was nevertheless sensible and culturally sensitive advice, which other missionary groups might usefully study. If Dr Carey does meet underground church members to lend them much-needed moral support, it will be better to do so discreetly, not as part of a tub-thumping, bible-bashing publicity stunt which could lead to an official backlash. The underground churches have enough martyrs to keep their faith alive. They do not need Dr Carey to create any more.
Not to meet them at all, however, would be a betrayal of China's Christians and of the thousands of Hong Kong people looking to the Anglican Church to champion the freedom of religion promised in the Basic Law. The Western churches have a duty to their Chinese and Hong Kong followers to keep interest in their freedoms alive.
