In a surprising development from the Vatican yesterday, a statement was released revealing that Chinese authorities had violated the terms stipulated in the provisional agreement between the Chinese Communist Party and the Holy See on the appointment of bishops.
The Vatican statement comes in response to the installation of Bishop John Peng Weizhao as an “auxiliary bishop of Jiangxi”, a diocese that is not even recognised by the Vatican.
The Vatican only recently renewed the controversial Sino-Vatican pact despite numerous problems and concerns, which included the banning of under 18s from Mass and bishops being forced to swear allegiance to the supremacy of Communist Party doctrine and authority over the Church’s teachings and her hierarchy.
The deal went ahead despite the fact that many of the bishops appointed before the agreement have been turned out of their homes, arrested, or made fugitive. In some parts of the country, local Communist Party authorities have continued to order the bulldozing of Catholic church buildings and shrines.
Peng was installed at a ceremony in Nanchang, China. However, the Vatican statement says that it “did not occur in accordance with the spirit of dialogue … and what was stipulated in the Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops, on September 22, 2018”.
The Vatican statement recognises that “prolonged and heavy pressure from local authorities” preceded the installation.
“The Holy See hopes that similar episodes will not be repeated, awaits appropriate communications on the matter from the authorities and reaffirms its full availability to continue the respectful dialogue concerning all issues of common interest,” it states.
According to CNA, the boundaries of the “Diocese of Jiangxi” were drawn by Chinese authorities without Vatican approval. Peng, who was legitimately appointed by Pope Francis in 2014, was secretly ordained as an underground bishop of Yujiang and subsequently arrested by Chinese authorities and held in custody for six months, according to Asia News.
The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association posted on their website that Peng’s installation ceremony occurred on November 24 with “the consent of the Jiangxi Provincial Catholic Educational Affairs Committee and the approval of the Chinese Catholic bishops’ conference”.
The government-approved Catholic association said Peng swore the controversial oath at the installation ceremony to “guide Catholicism to adapt to socialist society” and contribute to the “dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”.
While on the plane home from Kazakhstan, Pope Francis devoted more than 200 words to the Rome-Beijing dialogue, giving insights into his view of the Chinese mentality and the notion that the Chinese regime is not democratic. The question was not raised by the reporter, but brought up by the Pontiff himself.
“Qualifying China as undemocratic, I do not identify with that, because it’s such a complex country … yes, it is true that there are things that seem undemocratic to us, that is true.”
However, in a recent interview with BBC Radio 4, Lord Patten of Barnes, the Catholic last British Governor of Hong Kong, severely criticised the Vatican for its deal with China. He accused Rome of unwarranted secrecy and “self-delusion” in its dealings with the Communist superpower.
Lord Patten accused the Vatican of operating a misguided “policy of appeasement” in dealing with “thuggish dictators” and hit out at what he said was the “incredibly lily-livered” treatment of Cardinal Joseph Zen, who was recently sentenced following a trial on Friday.
A former bishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Zen has long been a campaigner for human rights and a consistent critic of the agreement. He was convicted by a Hong Kong court and fined HK$4,000 the day after Peng’s installation. The Vatican has yet to make any statement on Zen’s conviction and it remains to be seen if there is any link.
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