On October 22 the Vatican confirmed it had renewed a deal with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) relating to the appointment of bishops in the country. Renewal of the 2018 deal has been fiercely criticised by Cardinal Joseph Zen (the veteran former Bishop of Hong Kong, currently on trial there on trumped-up charges) as well by Cardinal Gerhard Cardinal Müller, but had been hinted at by Pope Francis. It coincided with a congress in Beijing which handed CCP leader Xi Jinping an unprecedented third term as party boss.
The deal, which was had already been renewed in 2020, has failed to stop the ongoing persecution of lay Catholics and clergy in the country, such as Bishop Augustine Cui Tai. The agreement centres on cooperation on the appointment of bishops, ostensibly giving the Pope a final say. However, only six bishops have been appointed since the deal was struck, while the Pope can only choose from pre-determined candidates and, according to some sources, the CCP has even removed papal approval entirely.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, considered a potential successor to Pope Francis, told Fides news agency that the agreement seeks to ensure bishops can exercise their ministry in full communion with the Pope, while safeguarding the sacramental life of the Church. Speaking with Gianni Valente, the agency’s director, Tagle said: “The Holy See has always reiterated the circumscribed nature of the Agreement, which also touches a vital issue for the Church, and for this reason, too, it cannot be reduced to a side element of some diplomatic strategy.”
The Filipino prelate added: “The intent of the Holy See is only to favour the choice of good Chinese Catholic bishops, who are worthy and suitable to serve their people.” Tagle admitted, however, that “the Holy See has never spoken of the agreement as the solution of all problems,” and “does not ignore and does not even minimise the differences of reactions among Chinese Catholics in the face of the agreement”. That said, “one always has to dirty one’s hands with the reality of things as they are.” As for CCP involvement in selecting clergy, Tagle said “intervention of civil authorities in the choices of the bishops has manifested itself several times and in various forms throughout history.”
Turning to so-called “Sinicization” efforts by the CCP, Tagle argued that “Christianity has always lived the processes of inculturation also as an adaptation to cultural and political contexts.” As for ignoring the suffering of Chinese Christians, he confirmed that their “sufferings and difficulties are always before the Apostolic See’s gaze”, but that “the Holy See has its own respectful style of communicating with representatives of the Chinese government, but which never ignores and indeed always makes present the situations of suffering of Catholic communities.”
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, who has been key to the China deal – albeit having come in for heavy criticism from Cardinal Zen over his involvement – also spoke about the deal in an interview with Vatican News and Osservatore Romano. Cardinal Parolin said: “The heart of the Agreement certainly has to do also with the consolidation of good institutional and cultural dialogue, but it mainly concerns aspects that are essential to the daily life of the Church in China.”
Parolin stated that – as regards the procedure for appointing clergy – the past “teaches that the Holy See has often come, in the delicate and important matter of the appointment of bishops, to reach an agreement on procedures that take into consideration the particular conditions of a country, without however failing in what is essential and fundamental for the Church, namely, the appointment of good and worthy pastors.” Parolin said the process accounted for “the particular characteristics of Chinese history and society and the consequent development of the Church in China”, while “it seemed prudent and wise to take into account both the needs expressed by the country’s authorities” as well as those of Catholics with knowledge of the situation.
As for the fact that only six bishops have been appointed, Parolin argued: “These are the first ones, while other procedures are ongoing. At the same time, we are aware that there are still many vacant dioceses, as well as others that have very elderly bishops.” He added “The ultimate goal of this journey is for the ‘little flock’ of Chinese Catholics to advance in the possibility of living serenely and freely their Christian life, which is made up of the proclamation of the Gospel, solid formation, and joyful celebration of the Eucharist.”
Of course, this cannot obscure the fact that between 20 and 50 million Chinese Christians have experienced persecution in recent years, while a 2020 report by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China found that Chinese Catholics suffered “increasing persecution” after the deal was signed. Religious education, meanwhile, remains illegal for under-18s, while churches are now monitored by CCTV. China’s persecution of Catholics has even escalated, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Vatican could have put conditions on any extension, such as the release of all imprisoned clergy. Instead, it appears to have renewed the deal with no strings attached, and despite the hopes of many the 2018 deal remains . Cardinal Tagle and Cardinal Parolin may have mounted strong defences, but criticism of a deal with a country edging towards war with Taiwan, and imposing draconian policies on its own people, is unlikely to die down.
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