On October 25, Pope Francis led leaders of world religions in an appeal to avert the threat of nuclear war in Ukraine. At the closing ceremony of a conference organised by the Sant’ Egidio Community, Pope Francis warned of a “bleak scenario” echoing Pope John XXIII who delivered a similar message during the Cuban missile crisis.
It seems somewhat paradoxical then that Pope Francis continues to maintain good relations with China, Russia’s last remaining ally, where the government has waged crackdowns over the years on religious believers, especially Uyghur Muslims, but also Christians. China also continues to threaten the territorial integrity of Taiwan, an island democracy which China views as its own.
Indeed, the Vatican has hinted that it could even withdraw diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in what would be an enormous slight given that Vatican City State remains the only European country to recognise Taiwan.
Most importantly, in extending for a second time the much-criticised 2018 deal on the appointment of Bishops with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for the next two years, the Vatican is viewed by many to be empowering the regime and its leader, Xi Jinping, who just so happened to cement his power on Sunday with an unprecedented third term.
The Vatican’s intention in renewing the deal, it says, has been to maintain a “constructive dialogue” with China rather than alienating the country entirely “with a view to fostering the mission of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people″. However, human rights advocates argue that engagement with the Chinese Communist Party is increasingly undermining the Holy See’s moral credibility.
Through the 2018 agreement – which had previously been renewed in 2020, and which Cardinals Parolin and Tagle recently defended – the Vatican agreed to cooperate in the selection of bishops of a united Catholic Church in China. The objective was a merger of the Underground Catholic Church into the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA). While the Vatican had the final say on appointments, it could only select from CCP-approved candidates.
However, the CCP seems to have reneged on the deal since and continues to ignore it, not allowing the Pope any role in selecting bishops – not even a right to approve or veto.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Joseph Zen – a long-standing critic of the Vatican’s accommodation of China, and of the role played by Cardinal Pietro Parolin especially – is on trial in Hong Kong for what many believe are politically-motivated charges.
According to Nina Shea, writing in National Review: “Zen’s arrest is widely understood as political – a reprisal for his vocal opposition to the regime’s crackdown on religious rights and democratic freedoms.” As for the deal itself, Shea warned, “there have been only six new episcopal appointments, the last one made over a year ago.”
Meanwhile, “Vatican observers point to credible evidence that Pope Francis accepted two of the six after the fact, playing no role beyond giving his approval. Moreover, eight of China’s bishops appointed with a papal mandate are now detained, disappeared, on trial, or forced from their ministries because they reject the Patriotic Church and criticize its pledge of ‘independence’ from the Vatican”.
The senior Chinese clerics being persecuted currently are:
Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin, Fujian province
Bishop Augustine Cui Tai, Hebei province
Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo, Hebei province
Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin, Zhejiang province
Bishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen, Tianjin city
Bishop James Su Zhimin, Hebei province
Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu, Henan province
Cardinal Joseph Zen, Hong Kong
According to Shea, “there has been a net loss in the number of China’s bishops since 2018, and one-third of China’s 90-plus dioceses are estimated to remain in need of episcopal appointments.” Meanwhile, “authorities have exploited the secrecy of the agreement’s contents to falsely tell Chinese Catholic clergy that the Vatican requires them to join the Patriotic Church and submit to its pledge of “independence” from foreign powers, which would implicitly renounce fealty to the Pope.”
Given that Xi Jinping is rewarding combat-ready generals as part of his plans to take Taiwan, as well as enshrining rejection of Taiwan’s independence into the CCP constitution, the Vatican seems to have effectively strengthened China’s hand by undermining a united front against the CCP’s barbarism as it prepares for an invasion. The CCP now has a extra card to play in its dealings with the West.
An outright rejection of the deal, or calls to look at it again, would have sent a message not just to China and Taiwan, but to predominantly Catholic countries worldwide – including those like Brazil and the Philippines who have had somewhat ambiguous relationships with Beijing – as well as the wider international community, that China’s human rights abuses will not be ignored. Instead, China can now point to the deal’s renewal as, if not an endorsement, then certainly a demonstrable lack of concern from the Vatican.
Had Pope Francis extended the deal on the condition that all imprisoned clergy were released, that would have sent a better message. But, without conditions attached, the deal not only conveys a misunderstanding of China – where persecution of clergy far exceeds anything seen in previous and current communist regimes – but effectively strengthens China’s hand, weakens Taiwan’s position, and undermines the future wellbeing of Chinese Christians. There is only one winner from the renewal of the deal, and that is the CCP.
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