[ad_1]
A historic agreement between the Vatican and China on the appointment of bishops sparked a strongly divided response over the weekend as global Catholic observers weighed in on religious freedom.
The details of the deal were not made public, but people familiar with the issue before the signing said they allowed the pope to veto new candidates for bishops proposed by the Chinese government.
The agreement also means that the Vatican will no longer approve the ordination of bishops in China without Beijing's permission, which means that all new leaders of the Catholic hierarchy will be acceptable men for an avowed and atheistic government.
Critics termed the pact of surrender by Pope Francis in Beijing at a time when government repression of Christians and other religious groups was intensifying.
"How can the Vatican reach an agreement with a regime as it destroys churches and crosses, banning children from attending services and tightening restrictions?" Said Benedict Rogers of Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
But the movement's supporters called the measure a breakthrough because it implies official recognition of the pope's authority by a government that broke off diplomatic relations with the Holy See almost 70 years ago.
"Today, the representative of the pope enters Beijing [sic] by the entrance door. No more secret negotiations, but an official agreement that recognizes the dignity of the Holy See and Chinese Catholicism, "wrote Andrea Riccardi, a former Italian minister and prominent Catholic layman with close ties to the Vatican.
For the Chinese government, the agreement is a boost to his image as the Communist Party continues a campaign to strengthen the control of Catholicism and other religions.
This is also a step towards the resumption of diplomatic relations with the Vatican, after the expulsion of the last Vatican diplomat by Mao Zedong in 1951 and a campaign to intensify Taiwan, a democratic island. and autonomous that Beijing considers a renegade Province. The Holy See is the most prestigious diplomatic partner of Taiwan, which is only 17 after the departure of Beijing three others this year.
Some Chinese officials fear that the deal will set a dangerous precedent by giving a foreign organization some power over religious affairs in China. They fear that this may encourage other religious groups in China – including Protestants, Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists – to seek greater integration with world religious organizations.
The main Chinese state media, closely managed by the Communist Party, have only briefly mentioned the agreement.
China's decision to have an official from its Foreign Ministry sign suggests an effort to distinguish its relations with the Vatican from the field of internal religious affairs, which are overseen by the United Front's Department of Labor.
The country's 10 million Catholics are expected to venerate only in churches approved by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, but many Catholics frequent unregistered churches in so-called underground communities run by bishops loyal to Rome.
An official statement from Catholic associations backed by the Chinese state on Sunday suggested the possibility of a future conflict, as the groups stressed the importance of patriotism and political sovereignty, without mentioning the pope or the authority of the Vatican.
The union with the world church, as represented in the agreement, was diluted in the group statement, expressing a desire to "conduct friendly exchanges with other Catholic churches on the basis of independence, mutual respect, equality and friendship ".
Although the Vatican and Beijing have cooperated informally to agree on most bishops in recent decades, the government has periodically appointed bishops without the approval of the pope. China threatened to retake unilateral appointments of state-backed bishops, pressuring the Vatican to reach an agreement.
The main requirement of the Beijing agreement was that the pope recognize seven excommunicated Chinese bishops appointed without Vatican authorization over the years. Saturday, the Vatican announced that the pope had met the requirement.
The pursuit of Pope Francis largely reflected his desire to end divisions between venerating Catholics in state-approved churches and those in the underground church.
But Chinese Catholic communities are expected to quietly tackle the deal in the coming months, particularly in the dioceses of Mindong and Shantou, where the Bishops respected and appointed by the Vatican have been given the blessing. Order to withdraw.
People familiar with the matter have stated prior to signing that the agreement provides for the possibility of revisions after one or two years if either or the other party sees the need.
Among the important unknown details regarding the agreement, there is the question of whether the pope will have the choice of candidates or just a veto on only one candidate at a time. and how well the Vatican will be able to control candidate bishops in advance.
The agreement also leaves unresolved the fate of some 30 so-called clandestine bishops recognized by the Vatican, but not by China.
Another complication is a major gap in the number of dioceses recognized by both parties. At the end of 2017, the Vatican had 144 Catholic dioceses in the country, compared to only 96 for the Chinese government, according to the Holy Spirit Study Center in Hong Kong.
On Saturday, the Vatican announced that the pope was recognizing a new diocese of Chengde, created in 2010 by the Chinese government for Bishop Guo Jincai, one of seven newly recognized bishops. This would take the Vatican's account to 145. It is unclear whether Beijing will appoint bishops to run the dioceses it has not yet recognized.
– Zhou Wei in Shanghai contributed to this article.
Write to Francis X. Rocca at [email protected] and Eva Dou at [email protected]
