Giulio Aleni's "Cleansing of Sins" as a Christian and Confucian Cultivation Theory: Taking Correct Rules for Cleansing Sins (Dizui Zhenggui) as an Example

Abstract

When constructing the Sinicized liturgical thoughts, Giulio Aleni integrated Confucian cultivation terms such as "repent and correct one's mistakes", "pray for one's sins", and "constantly face the divine" to interpret the Catholic "cleansing of sins" (the Sacrament of Confession), making "cleansing of sins" not only have the ideological connotations of sacraments but also contain cultivation purposes similar to those in Confucian cultivation theory. The Sinicized Confession interpreted by Aleni includes Confucian ideas such as "correcting mistakes" and "repenting", and can also promote individual cultivation in terms of "enlightening/contemplating one's own sins", and can promote the practical effect of cultivation through liturgical practice. Aleni's experience in constructing the "cleansing of sins" cultivation theory shows that integrating individual cultivation with liturgical practice is a valuable experience for Catholicism to integrate into Chinese culture, which can be taken for promoting the Sinicization of liturgy today.