Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the Vatican to speak out on the Chinese Communist Party’s alleged human rights abuses, especially when it comes to religious freedom.
“The Holy See has the capacity to exert enormous influence,” Pompeo said Friday on The Hugh Hewitt Show. “Their moral witness matters an awful lot, and we need them on the world stage talking about the horrific activity that’s taking place inside of China today.”
During his recent speech in Rome, Pompeo cited China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims and other religious minorities as well as its crackdown on Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement as the biggest abuses the country has allegedly conducted. Beijing has denied any such abuses, especially when it comes to the Uighur population.
“Nowhere is religious freedom under assault more than in China,” Pompeo said in his address. “We must support those demanding freedom in our time.”
During his weeklong trip to Europe, Pompeo met with Vatican leaders to discuss the threat of China as a growing, hegemonic threat.
Though Pompeo sought to meet with Pope Francis during his visit, the Catholic leader refused the meeting in order to avoid any optics close to the November election that might look like he is endorsing President Trump.
Pompeo has been critical about the Holy See’s relationship with China following the renewal of a 2018 agreement that seeks to welcome Chinese Catholics by legitimizing the Beijing-mandated Chinese Catholic Church. The agreement gives both Beijing and the Vatican the ability to approve Catholic bishops in China. Critics of the deal say it puts the Catholic Church in China under more government surveillance and control.
While Pompeo didn’t explicitly discuss the deal in the speech he gave during his trip, he challenged the pope on multiple issues regarding China.
The secretary also referred to former Pope John Paul II’s opposition to the Soviet Union and other communist regimes during the Cold War when contrasting the church’s silence on China.
“I’ve called upon the Catholic Church and the Catholic leadership in the Vatican to stand up for these people,” Pompeo said. “The church has historically done that. John Paul II was an important part of turning the tide and creating freedom in Europe and the destruction of the Soviet Union and the freedom of the people that were oppressed by the Soviet Union. We need that same moral witness today.”
