The bitter fruit of the secret Vatican-Beijing accord

By Phil Lawler ( bio - articles - email ) | Apr 22, 2020

As you may already have seen, Civilta Cattolica, the Jesuit-run Vatican journal, is now available in China. The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, welcomed the appearance of the Chinese edition as “fruit of the friendly encounter with the rich tradition of the Chinese people.”

It isn’t surprising that China would welcome Civilta Cattolica. The magazine has enthusiastically supported Pope Francis in his outreach to the Beijing regime. Its editor, Father Antonio Spadaro, traveled to Beijing last June to organize a “Forum for Civilizational Dialogue.” The current issue features an editorial entitled: ”Confidence in the Journey of the Church in China.”

But let’s take a closer look. What is this “friendly encounter” between Rome and Beijing? What other fruit has it borne? And when a Vatican journal expresses “confidence” about the Church in China, doesn’t that imply that there’s a question being asked: a reason why some people might not feel confident?

The question that’s being asked (although not by the docile Civilta editors) is whether the secret agreement between the Vatican and Beijing has helped or harmed the Catholic Church in China. The agreement, concluded in September 2018, was intended to resolve tensions between the “official” and “underground” wings of Chinese Catholicism—one loyal to Beijing, the other to Rome. In particular, the accord allowed for the appointment of new bishops who would be recognized by both the Holy See and the government-controlled Patriotic Association.

For years, to avoid aggravating the problems faced by “underground” prelates, official Vatican publications had not listed information about the bishops serving in China. Now a full, approved list is available. It’s revealing.

Today there are 394 dioceses in China. Of these, 74 do not have a bishop. Among the bishops currently heading Chinese dioceses, many are well beyond the normative retirement age: six are over the age of 90 and another four are over 85. So, eighteen months after the agreement that theoretically ended an impasse over the appointment of bishops, the problem of appointments has evidently not been resolved.

Still the Vatican insists on expressions of “confidence” about the future of relations with China. (When the Civilta editorial referred to a “journey,” you should have noticed that it’s the future that inspires confidence, certainly not the present.) But while we wait for the promised future of happy relations, the news from China remains bleak; loyal Catholics are suffering, as the Communist regime tightens its grip on the churches.

Just since the beginning of this year:

• a priest has been imprisoned, and a bishop has had the utilities cut off in his residence, because they refused to accept the authority of the Patriotic Association;
• authorities have closed parish churches that resisted Party control;
• new regulations required all religious bodies to register with Communist Party officials;
• public funerals were banned
• young people are barred from churches, crucifixes in sanctuaries replaced with red flags, the national anthem sung at Mass in place of hymns.

That “fruit of friendly encounter” that Cardinal Parolin cited may taste sweet for Communist Party officials—and for Vatican officials intent on pursuing the same policy—but for many thousands of Catholics it is bitter. A US Congressional report in January found that restrictions on the Catholic Church have increased since the signing of that secret pact with the Vaitcan, as “local Chinese authorities subjected Catholic believers in China to increasing persecution by demolishing churches, removing crosses, and continuing to detain underground clergy.”

This week the Vatican took another step on its “journey” toward rapprochement with the Beijing regime, sending a message of thanks to China for the donation of medical equipment to fight the CO19 epidemic. (The Vatican had not thanked Taiwan for an earlier donation, no doubt because a nod toward Taiwan would offend Communist Party leaders on the mainland.) Cardinal Raymond Burke was right to question that message of obeisance to Beijing, and to ask why China enjoys “a place of privilege with the Vatican” despite an appalling record of anti-Catholic oppression.