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BEIJING – The Vatican's agreement to give China a say on bishops' appointments has accused the church of yielding to the ruling Communist Party, just as it is carrying out a massive crackdown on religion. Others say that it is an imperfect but indispensable step to unify Catholics in the most populous country in the world.
The agreement is a step towards the hope of bringing together the 12 million Chinese Catholics who are divided between those who worship in state-sanctioned churches and clandestine priests loyal to the pope, who are frequently detained and harassed.
The specifics of the agreement announced over the weekend are unknown. Pope Francis said this week that the agreement allows for a discussion with China on the appointment of bishops, but that the pope will ultimately decide.
"It's done in dialogue," he said. "But the names of Rome, the names of the pope, it is clear."
Although the Vatican will retain the power to nominate candidates, Beijing will probably be given the right to refuse, said Anthony Lam, an expert from the Chinese Church of the Holy Spirit Study Center in Hong Kong.
"I myself believe that the Holy See will agree to grant the Beijing government the right of veto," Lam said, adding that the Vatican had no choice but to to accept the terms of China.
The agreement calls on the Vatican to recognize seven bishops appointed by Beijing without the consent of the pope, while ensuring that two legitimate bishops, remaining faithful to Rome, withdraw.
Such initiatives are seen as a concession on the part of the Vatican to Beijing's assertion that it would not allow "foreign forces" to govern the country's religious groups.
The Vatican has made "unusual compromises to reach this agreement, while China has not given, if anything, until now," said Fenggang Yang, director of the Center on Religion and Chinese Society in China. Purdue University. Already, atheist activists posted online compare the Vatican's decision to the surrender of Japan at the end of the Second World War, to which the Communist Party takes its credit, he said.
Despite this, the Vatican has declared that all bishops in China are now in communion with Rome. The Vatican said the agreement was tentative, suggesting that it could be reviewed periodically.
In a letter sent Wednesday to the Chinese faithful, the pope urged Chinese Catholics to trust him. It seemed to aim to recognize the deep reluctance of some faithful, for whom the agreement represents a sale to the communist government and a betrayal of their decades of loyalty to the pope.
Francis acknowledged that these Chinese "feel somehow abandoned" and expressed "sincere admiration" for their loyalty over the years. The purpose of the agreement, he said, is to launch for the first time a process that, we hope, will help heal the wounds of the past, restore full communion between all Chinese Catholics and to lead an increased fraternal cooperation. "
Whether the agreement is concluded or not depends on a multitude of factors, including the level of suspicion of the government and the willingness of the underground church to cooperate.
Hong Kong cardinal Joseph Zen, one of the most vocal critics of the Vatican 's rapprochement with Beijing, has already denounced the agreement as a betrayal of clerical clergy and its followers who are often persecuted for their mistrust of Falun Gong. State.
China has tightened controls on all religions, especially on Christianity and Islam, which are considered foreign imports and potential opponents of communist rule.
Authorities removed or demolished officially sanctioned church crosses, closed churches and at least one township, replacing the posters of Jesus Christ with portraits of President Xi Jinping in the toughest anti-religion campaign since 1966- 76. Revolution.
Reverend Bernardo Cervellera, whose AsiaNews agency has closely covered negotiations between the Vatican and China, said the departments responsible for religious affairs were all reluctant to lose absolute power over the church and.
The parties may have rushed the agreement so that they have something to show for three years of dialogue, said Cervellera.
"An interim agreement is better than nothing," said Cervellera. With the Chinese church needing at least 18 new bishops, the deal can help reduce the risk of further schism, he added.
It is unclear what will happen to the 30 or so clandestine bishops who will now have to hear the government and join the official Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which many are reluctant to do. The bishop of Shanghai, Thaddeus Ma Daqin, was placed under house arrest shortly after renouncing membership in the association. Six years later, he has not yet appeared in public.
China also maintains its longstanding claim that the Holy See cuts ties with Taiwan before it can normalize diplomatic relations with Beijing that were broken nearly 70 years ago. This will probably happen only after the Vatican has obtained new assurances about the rights of Chinese Catholics to pray without restriction, observers say.
However, a government statement released on Sunday did not indicate that greater freedoms were in sight, saying that the Chinese church would continue to operate according to the principles of "independence, autonomy and self-regulation" while adhering to the socialism and leadership of the Communist Party.
Yet, some Chinese Catholics see signs of hope.
Reverend Peng Zhekang, a priest in the diocese of Guo Xijin, one of the two legitimate bishops whom the Vatican asks to withdraw, described the agreement as "good and good start".
"Because dialogue is better than confrontation," said Peng.
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Associated Press editors Gillian Wong in Beijing and Nicole Winfield of Vatican City contributed to this report.
