Matteo Ricci, #Jesuit missionary d 5/11 1610. After mastering Chinese and Confucian classics, he won respect as a scholar, publishing works on astronomy, philosophy, etc. His strategy: Christianity must eschew taint of colonialism and present itself in terms of Chinese culture.
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Once Christianity was accepted as part of Chinese culture, others could spread the gospel among the masses. Unfortunately his strategy was undone by Vatican officials whose philosophy was, in effect, “When in China, do as the Romans.”
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The issue was the veneration of ancestors, a critical feature of Confucianism, in which Ricci saw no conflict with Christian morality, but which the Church deemed idolatrous. The condemnation of “ancestor worship” by papal decree closed the door that Ricci had opened.
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I appreciate this memorial about my father by @ggrenwald above any I have read today--for his comprehensive review of his bio & history, for his attention to themes generally overlooked about his post-Vietnam life, but particularly for deep appreciation of his human qualities.🙏
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Here's my @RollingStone article on Daniel Ellsberg, the heroic Pentagon Papers leaker who died today at 92:
"We’re Told Never to Meet Our Childhood Heroes. Knowing Daniel Ellsberg Proved That Wrong"
rollingstone.com/politics/polit
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