The Pope said in his urbi et orbi message: «Yes, there is a good earth, a healthy earth, an earth freed of all selfishness and all lack of openness. In this world there is a good soil which God has prepared, that he might come to dwell among us. A dwelling place for his presence in the world. This good earth exists, and today too, in 2012, from this earth truth has sprung up! Consequently, there is hope in the world, a hope in which we can trust, even at the most difficult times and in the most difficult situations. Truth has sprung up, bringing kindness, justice and peace».

This assumption was an introduction to the Pope’s prayer for the world peace – a prayer that can be also seen as a geopolitical glance to the «hottest places» in the world. «May peace spring up – the Pope said  for the people of Syria, deeply wounded and divided by a conflict which does not spare even the defenceless and reaps innocent victims. Once again I appeal for an end to the bloodshed, easier access for the relief of refugees and the displaced, and dialogue in the pursuit of a political solution to the conflict». Then, the Pope prayed for Palestine, because the Redemeer «grant Israelis and Palestinians courage to end to long years of conflict and division, and to embark resolutely on the path of negotiation».

Recently, Egypt approved the new Constitution, based and inspired on shari’a, the Islamic Law. And generally, there is much concern for the transition in the countries of the Arab Spring. Holy See officials asked for a nurturing of democracy, and are working to preserve Catholic communities, that are increasingly considered at risks. This is the background that brings the Pope to pray for North-African countries. «May citizens – the Pope said – work together to build societies founded on justice and respect for the freedom and dignity of every person».

Asian scenario is also a complex one. People’s Republic of China has a new government, but relationships between Holy See and China are still difficult. Recently, China’s administration revoked the Episcopal appointment to Thaddeus Ma Daqin (now under house arrest), bishop of Shanghai, because he rejected the imposition of hands by an excommunicated bishop; did not drink from the same cup of the illicit bishop; publicly resigned from the Patriotic Association (PA) (the official Chinese Church), considering this an obstacle to his «pastoral and evangelization work». This was just the apex of a wide-spread tension in China. In his  Christmas message, card. John Tong Hon asked for «universal suffrage and defense for the family». In his urbi et orbi message, the Pope prayed the «King of Peace» to «turn his gaze to the new leaders of the People’s Republic of China for the high task which awaits them. I express my hope that, in fulfilling this task, they will esteem the contribution of the religions, in respect for each, in such a way that they can help to build a fraternal society for the benefit of that noble People and of the whole world».

Finally, the Pope prayed for Mali (plagued by a separatist war, that the local Church described as a «war of corrupted people») and Nigeria (where the bombings against Christian are unfortunately common news), for the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya («where – the Pope said – brutal attacks have struck the civilian population and places of worship»). In the end, Benedict XVI turn is gaze to Latin America. «May the Child Jesus – he said – bless the great numbers of the faithful who celebrate him in Latin America. May he increase their human and Christian virtues, sustain all those forced to leave behind their families and their land, and confirm government leaders in their commitment to development and fighting crime».

In fact, where God is denied – Benedict XVI maintained in his Christmas Eve Mass homily – there are war and violence. «If God’s light is extinguished, man’s divine dignity is also extinguished». When sometimes in history this light extinguished, religion «opposed to its deepest essence». Pope is not blind, he admits that «religions, especially monotheism, are the cause of the violence and the wars in the world». But he also responds asking «make room for him within ourselves», so that «we may recognize him also in those through whom he speaks to us: children, the suffering, the abandoned, those who are excluded and the poor of this world».

The assembly was held in Beijing in December 7 to 9, 2010, and saw the election of the new leadership of the Council of Chinese bishop (not recognized by Pope) and the Patriotic Association, whose aims are irreconciliable with a Catholic doctrine. Thanks to manoeuvrings of the Communist Party, Joseph Ma Yinling, (illegitimate) Bishop of Kunming was voted the new chairman of the Council of Chinese Bishops, and Johan Fang Xinyao of Linyi (in communion with the Pope) is instead the new leader of Patriotic Association.

Church and China are now slowly recovering from the socks suffered at the end of the last year. Mgr Paul Liang Jiansen was ordained the 30^th of March as the new bishop of the diocese of Jiangmen (Guandong). Bishop Liang, 46, is approved by the Pope and recognized by Beijing. This «twofold» approval is necessary in China: the 10 million estimated Catholics of the country are split between followers of the Pope and members of the Chinese Catholic Associations. The association is not in communion with Rome and refuses to accept the sole authority of the Pope to appoint new bishops.

In recent years, Episcopal ordinations in China have seen fluctuating fortunes. In the 2005, all new bishops were ordained with the approval of both the Pope and the Chinese authorities. In 2006, Joseph Zen, bishop of Hong Kong, was made cardinal, and China immediately went back to electing bishops without the Pope’s mandate, in April and November. In January 2007, when the news came out that Benedict XVI was going to send a pastoral letter to the Church of China, the consecration of bishops not authorized by Rome ceased, and the new bishop of Beijing was elected with the Pope’s consent. But, starting in December 2007, everything came to a halt for more than two years. In 2009 Hu Jintao came to Italy to participate to G8. The Pope let him know that he would be happy to receive him at the Vatican. The meeting could not be held, but the Pope invitation was appreciated. Then, new bishops were ordained with the twofold approval of the Pope and the Chinese government. After Guo Jincai controversial ordination and the Assembly – the ordination of Mgr. Liang in Jiangmen would open to a new season for Vatican diplomacy in China.

The «creative solution» – as some observer call it – is outlined from the Benedict XVI address to diplomatic corps. After focusing on the case of the China, Benedict XVI quoted the example of Cuba, a communist country which has had diplomatic relations with the Vatican for more than 75 years. And later the Pope cited the positive development in Vietnam, where authorities «have accepted my appointment of a Representative who will express the solicitude of the Successor of Peter by visiting the beloved Catholic community of that country». The «Vietnam model» would be a solution: it does not imply diplomatic relations between States, but the States permission for the Vietnamese Catholics to have relations with the religious hierarchies related to their faith, thus ensuring with their religious freedom.

But card. Joseph Zen, retired archbishop of Hong Kong, has issued a bitter complaint against Church officials who seeks to reach accommodation with the Chinese regime. He argued that the Catholic bishops of China should be urged to resist pressure from Beijing, rather than encourage to avoid confrontations. And he said that mixed signals from Vatican are partly responsible for the fact that many bishops who profess loyalty to Rome participated to the illicit ordination of Joseph Guo Jincai and in the election of new leaders for the Catholic Patriotic Association. «Our bishops – card. Zen said – needed some supply of courage, but instead they received much misplaced compassion, which pushed them deeper and deeper into the mire of slavish subjections».

Is it the time to appease or to strengthen their identity for Chinese Catholics? Chinese situation in the Human Rights field is – as AsiaNews put it – «worse than before the 2008 Olympics, because now the authorities do not only want to silence dissidents for some time, rather they want to silence him entirely». The crackdown began in mid-February, when the protests broke out in North Africa, and China government was terrified by the call to the people, posted on line, to take to the streets for peaceful protests. As a reaction, Beijing began to imprison all noted dissenters, closed down blofs, hunt down critical journalism. The data of the repression of the so-called «Jasmin revolution» are impressing: more than 200 democracy activists under house arrest and at least 26 in prison, many without charge or on trumped-up charges.

Is the diplomatic solution – China broke off relations with the Holy See in 1951 – the right one? Or maybe the Church would follow the path of Matteo Ricci, whose beatification cause is underway? For 28 years he searched for compromise with the court mandarins. Then, he understood that it would have been better to leave the announcement of the Gospel to the care of little (and poorest) communities. Is this the path to follow?