Pope Francis has extended an agreement with China that governs the nomination of Roman Catholic bishops despite U.S. calls to scrap the pact in response to the persecution of religious minorities.
“The Holy See considers the initial application of the Agreement — which is of great ecclesial and pastoral value — to have been positive, thanks to good communication and cooperation between the Parties on the matters agreed upon, and intends to pursue an open and constructive dialogue for the benefit of the life of the Catholic Church and the good of Chinese people,” the Vatican said in a Thursday bulletin.
That statement marks the renewal of a two-year interim agreement intended to bring Roman Catholics in China into full communion with Rome, but U.S. officials believe that it gives the Chinese Communist Party “some measure of control” over the Church. The pact turned into a bone of contention last month, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the Vatican to scrap the deal and condemn Beijing’s repression of Uighur Muslims and other religious groups.
“The Holy See is deeply aware, is taking this well into account and does not fail to draw the attention of the Chinese government to the promotion of a more fruitful exercise of religious freedom,” the Vatican’s newspaper emphasized in a story accompanying the statement.
Pompeo’s team struck a conciliatory note after his meeting with Vatican officials last month, but the State Department’s top diplomat for religious freedom issues said he suspects that the Chinese Communist Party will use the state-approved Roman Catholic Church membership roles as a target list for repression.
“So, it’s not without basis that people would say, ‘I’m not giving them my name because maybe I’m OK today, but what about tomorrow?’ And there’s a regime that wants to really tighten down even more,” U.S. Ambassador Sam Brownback said recently. “So, I think it’s a legitimate concern that underground Catholics would have.”
Those fears are already coming to pass, according to local reports. “Life has not been easier for us [since the deal was struck], especially for those who worship in government-sanctioned churches,” a priest in China told the South China Morning Post. “Many of my [seminary] classmates who are serving as priests in officially sanctioned churches are feeling more heat than we do because government restrictions focus on those operating out in the open these days.”
Chinese officials regard the “underground” church, which has operated in secret for decades, as a “threat” to the regime.
“For Beijing, the threat that needs to be addressed remains the underground Catholic Church, which they see as an illegal but organized religious group backed by foreign authorities who remain legal among international peers,” Chinese University of Hong Kong divinity school the Rev. Lo Lung-kwong said. “For the Catholic Church, the agreement could help eliminate a 70-year-old schism in China.”
