Pope Francis betrays legitimate Chinese Roman Catholic bishops in favour of those appointed by China's Communist government

The lesson, as always, is: Never trust a Jesuit. As reported by Paul Huang of The Epoch Times, January 26, 2018 (updated February 3, 2018) (links, bold in original):

In a move that breaks with centuries of Catholic tradition, the Vatican under Pope Francis has reportedly forced two duly appointed Chinese bishops to make way for those unilaterally imposed by the Chinese regime. The move is the latest in a series of concessions Pope Francis has made in recent years to seek resumption of diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the Chinese regime, which has always rejected the Pope’s authority to appoint Catholic bishops in mainland China.

According to Asia News, a Vatican delegation to China was sent in December of last year to force Bishop Peter Zhuang Jianjian of Shantou to “retire” or be demoted so that the Chinese regime could install its own bishops who come from regime-sanctioned churches.

The Vatican and the People’s Republic of China have had no diplomatic relations since 1951, as the Chinese Communist Party has insisted from the very beginning of its rule that all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in mainland China should be appointed by itself so that the regime may maintain control of the church. A regime-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA) was created to supposedly represent Catholics in China.

The Vatican under all previous popes has rejected such an arrangement and refused to recognize bishops unilaterally “appointed” by the CPCA. The power to appoint bishops, known as “Investiture”, has been considered to be at the core of the Catholic Church’s teachings.

Outside of CPCA control, a defiant network of underground Catholic “house churches” still exist in China, whose followers were represented by Chinese bishops legitimately ordained by the Vatican, such as Zhuang and Guo.

The 88-year-old Bishop Zhuang reportedly burst into tears on hearing the order from Vatican, he also rejected the “offer” to accept a demotion into a priest to serve under his replacement, CPCA Bishop Huang Bingzhang, since Huang could simply remove him at any later time.

In addition to being a CPCA Bishop, Huang is also a member of the National People’s Congress, the Chinese regime’s rubber stamp parliament.

Pope Francis’ Vatican previously demanded Zhuang’s retirement in a letter dated Oct. 26, of which Zhuang replied that he would rather “carry his cross” for disobeying the Vatican’s order, according to Asia News.

The Vatican delegation also traveled to Fujian Province where they asked Bishop Joseph Guo Xijin of Mindong, who belongs to the underground Catholic church, to “accept” a demotion so that CPCA-backed Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu can take his place. Previously, Guo had gone missing for some time last year after the Chinese regime forced him to “visit” a religious affairs bureau in the city of Fuan.

“It’s a shame for the Vatican politicians to put their political interests above the church’s by kowtowing to Communist Beijing,” said Bob Fu, founder of ChinaAid, a Christian NGO based in Midland, Texas. “This action constitutes a true betrayal both of Christian principle and of the ongoing persecuted faithful in China. I hope the Pope Francis can intervene and correct course before the damage is too huge to remedy.”

Appeases Chinese Regime at Any Cost

The Epoch Times’ repeated phone calls to the Vatican’s Press Office to request for comment have not been answered. The news of the forced exile of two bishops by the Vatican however has been confirmed by Cardinal Joseph Zen, the respected former bishop of Hong Kong who retired in 2009 and who in recent years has become a vocal voice in questioning Pope Francis’ various overtures to the Chinese regime.

Just this week, the 86-year-old Joseph Zen reportedly visited the Vatican on Wednesday, Jan. 23 and lined up with other petitioners in the cold in Saint Peter’s Square to personally deliver a letter to Pope Francis. He was not given the privilege of an express access to the Pope that is traditionally offered to retired cardinals at his level. The letter contains an appeal for Pope Francis to pay attention to the desperate plight of the underground Catholic churches in China.

The Vatican under Pope Francis however has clearly set its course for a rapprochement with the Chinese regime at any cost. Numerous overtures to the Chinese regime have been made ever since Pope Francis was elected in 2013, such as a Papal flight over China in 2014, and an announcement in February 2017 that an “agreement” over the issue of bishop appointment had been reached with Beijing, among other events.

The Epoch Times also reported last October that a senior archbishop known for his strong opposition to the Chinese regime has been removed from a key post in the Vatican by Pope Francis.

Pope Francis’s approach to the Chinese regime also marks a sharp contrast with many of his predecessors. For instance, John Paul II is known as the pope who inspired the fall of communism in his native Poland. While various Popes before Francis have attempted to restart the Vatican’s relations with China, none has crossed the line of accepting the Chinese regime depriving the Vatican of its power of Investiture.

The issue of the appointment of bishops is not the only thing that stands between the Vatican and the People’s Republic of China. The fate of the network of underground Catholic churches in China, which have an estimated 5-10 million members, has yet to be resolved, even though their bishops have now been abandoned by the Vatican. Underground Catholics complain of the Chinese regime having arrested hundreds of priests and bishops and having destroyed their churches.

A Vatican deal with China also has to settle the issue of Taiwan, which it still has formal diplomatic relations with. Partially due to the Chinese regime’s non-recognition of the Vatican’s authority in China, Taiwan was able to maintain the sovereign state of the Holy See as one of its few remaining diplomatic allies that formally recognize the island nation—at least until now.

Observers often speculated that the Vatican would abandon its relations with Taiwan to secure a deal with the Chinese regime on the other side of the strait, an act that would be seen not just as a betrayal of Taiwan but also the 240,000-strong Taiwanese Catholics, who unlike their Chinese counterparts have been allowed to practice their religion freely there and follow the Vatican’s authority.

January 22, 2019 update: The top Roman Catholic bishop in China makes the church's capitulation to the Communists clear, as reported by Catholic News Service, January 22, 2019 (link in original):

BEIJING – The president of China's state-sanctioned bishops' conference has pledged to work with the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association to develop the Sinicization of religion in the communist nation.

Ucanews.com reported that Bishop Joseph Ma Yinglin of Kunming spoke after Wang Zuoan, deputy minister of the United Front Work Department, visited the patriotic association and the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China in Beijing.

Bishop Ma said the association and the conference would live up to the trust of the Communist Party and the government.

"In the new year, they will work hard, unite as one heart, think seriously, strive to practice, work according to the situation, and continue to make greater and better progress on the path of the development of Sinicization for gaining a satisfactory result for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China," he said.

On his visit to Beijing, Wang said work on the election and consecration of bishops and the transformation of underground bishops must be done well.

Ucanews.com reported Wang called on the patriotic association and the bishops' conference to "maintain a high sense of responsibility and mission and lead the mass believers of the Catholic Church to continue to study through Xi Jinping's new era of socialism with Chinese characteristics."

They also should "make progress on the road of independence, autonomy and self-administration of the church and operating the church democratically."

Wang said it is necessary to constantly explore and practice the direction of Sinicization – modifying by Chinese influence – to strengthen the revision and improvement of systems, while it is important to "let the five-star red flag fly high in church courtyards."

He said it is also important to formulate a plan for managing dioceses appropriately.

Bishop Ma was ordained as a bishop in 2006 without a papal mandate. In 2010, he was elected president of the bishops' conference and vice chairman of the patriotic association. Neither organization is recognized by the Vatican.

On Sept. 22, 2018, Pope Francis lifted the excommunication of Bishop Ma and six other bishops appointed by the Chinese government without a pontifical mandate. That came a few hours after the Vatican and the Chinese government had signed a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops.

The pope's forgiveness was seen as part of the process toward healing the Chinese Church.

"Pope Francis hopes that, with these decisions, a new process may begin that will allow the wounds of the past to be overcome, leading to the full communion of all Chinese Catholics," the Vatican said in a statement.

February 21, 2020 update: As reported by Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz in Breaking Israel News, February 21, 2020 (links in original):

A meeting between the Chinese Foreign Minister and his Vatican counterpart last week resulted in a “secret agreement” that will bring the Chinese government into the process of appointing Catholic Bishops.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met in Munich on Friday with the Vatican Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher to finalize the agreement that was initiated and approved by Pope Francis. The agreement was to formalize a provisional agreement that was made in 2018 which will be expiring in August. The agreement allows for the Chinese government to pre-approve the Vatican’s appointment of Chinese Bishops.

The actual terms and details of the agreement remain undisclosed but it is being hailed as an unprecedented level of cooperation between the Catholic Church and Communist China, which officially cut off relations with the Vatican in 1951.

“Pope Francis hopes that, with these decisions, a new process may begin that will allow the wounds of the past to be overcome, leading to the full communion of all Chinese Catholics,” the Vatican said in a statement. “With a view to sustaining the proclamation of the Gospel in China, the Holy Father Pope Francis has decided to readmit to full ecclesial communion the remaining ‘official’ Bishops, ordained without Pontifical Mandate,”

It was reported that in return, Beijing would recognize some, though not all, of the bishops previously appointed by the Vatican. China has an estimated 12 million Catholics and 101 Bishops.

Retired Hong Kong cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun has long been a critic of Pope Francis’ relations with the Chinese government.

“Francis may have natural sympathy for Communists because for him, they are the persecuted,” Zen wrote in a 2018 op-ed. “He doesn’t know them as the persecutors they become once in power, like the Communists in China.”

Zen issued a statement criticizing the deal, accusing the Vatican of “selling out”mainland Chinese Catholics in order to normalize ties with Communist China. In an interview with Life Site News, Zen criticized Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, “is not acting for the faith,” said Zen. “I’m sorry to say, he is not a man of faith because he despises the heroes of faith.”

“[Communists] never accept compromise,” Zen said. “They want full surrender. And so now we are at the bottom. They finished the operation selling the Church.”

“With a totalitarian regime, there’s no possibility of any talk or bargaining. No, no,” warned Zen. “They just want you on your knees.”

July 24, 2023 update: As reported by Courtney Mares and Matthew Santucci of Catholic News Agency, July 15, 2023 (bold in original):

Pope Francis has decided to approve the appointment of the bishop of Shanghai who was previously installed by Chinese authorities without the Vatican’s approval.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin announced on Saturday that Pope Francis wanted to “remedy the canonical irregularity created in Shanghai, in view of the greater good of the diocese and the fruitful exercise of the bishop’s pastoral ministry.”

Parolin said that the pope’s “intention is fundamentally pastoral” and will allow the bishop to “work with greater serenity to promote evangelization and foster ecclesial communion.”

Bishop Joseph Shen Bin was installed in Shanghai in April in violation of the Holy See’s provisional agreement with Beijing on the appointment of bishops. It was the second unauthorized appointment by Chinese authorities in the past year.

Pope Francis formally confirmed Shen Bin for the Shanghai post on July 15. Parolin said that the Vatican intentionally made “the decision to take time before publicly commenting on the case” to evaluate the pastoral situation in Shanghai, which has been without a bishop for over a decade.

In an interview with Vatican News published with the announcement of the Chinese bishop’s appointment, Parolin underlined that it is “indispensable, that all episcopal appointments in China, including transfers, be made by consensus, as agreed, and keeping alive the spirit of dialogue” between the Holy See and China.

The Holy See first entered into a provisional two-year agreement with Beijing on the appointment of bishops in 2018, which was renewed in 2020 and again in 2022.

One month after the Holy See agreed to renew the deal last October, the Vatican said that Chinese authorities violated the terms stipulated in the agreement by installing Bishop John Peng Weizhao as an “auxiliary bishop of Jiangxi,” a diocese that is not recognized by the Vatican.

Parolin explained that the text of the provisional agreement has been kept confidential “because it has not yet been definitively approved.”

“It revolves around the fundamental principle of consensual decisions affecting bishops,” he said.

“We are, therefore, trying to clarify this point, in an open dialogue and in a respectful confrontation with the Chinese side.”

When asked what other topics need to be discussed in the Vatican’s dialogue with China, Parolin listed evangelization, the bishops’ conference, and the communication between Chinese bishops and the pope.

The cardinal called for a Chinese bishops’ conference with “statutes appropriate to its ecclesial nature and pastoral mission” and the establishment of regular communication between Chinese bishops and the pope.

“In fact, it must be said that too many suspicions slow down and hinder the work of evangelization: Chinese Catholics, even those defined as ‘underground,’ deserve trust, because they sincerely want to be loyal citizens and to be respected in their conscience and in their faith,” Parolin said.

Despite the repeated violations, Parolin added that the Holy See is “determined” to continue dialogue with China.

“Indeed, the dialogue between the Vatican side and the Chinese side remains open and I believe that it is a path that is in some way obligatory,” he said.

“In order to make it smoother and more fruitful, it seems to me that the opening of a stable liaison office of the Holy See in China would be extremely useful. I take the liberty of adding that, in my opinion, such a presence would not only favor dialogue with the civil authorities but would also contribute to full reconciliation within the Chinese Church and its journey towards desirable normality.”

Bishop Joseph Shen Bin

Shen Bin, 53, was consecrated as a Catholic bishop in 2010 with the consent of both the pope and Chinese authorities, according to the Vatican. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Haimen until April, when he was transferred to Shanghai “without the involvement of the Holy See.”

Since 2022, Shen Bin has been the president of a group called the Council of Chinese Bishops, a state-sanctioned bishops’ conference not recognized by the Vatican. He previously was the vice president of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association established by the Chinese Communist Party and under the control of the United Front Work Department.

One month after Shen Bin’s installation, officials from the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) visited Shanghai to evaluate the progress of “Sinicization” in the diocese.

In his installation ceremony, the bishop said that he would, “continue to carry forward the fine tradition of patriotism and love of the Catholic Church in Shanghai, adhere to the principle of independence and self-government, adhere to the direction of my country’s Catholicism in China, and better promote the healthy inheritance of Shanghai Catholic evangelization.”

The Diocese of Shanghai

The Diocese of Shanghai is the largest Catholic diocese in the country and home to the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians, also known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan. The shrine, consecrated in 1873, is considered the first basilica of East Asia and is one of the main pilgrim sites on the mainland for Catholics.

The diocese was the hub of Catholic counterrevolutionary activity in the 1950s (and the city where the CCP was founded in 1921). Following Mao’s victory in 1949, Bishop Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei helped establish the apparatus of Catholic resistance that would become the underground Catholic church. On the night of Sept. 8, 1955, Bishop Kung, along with several hundred other clergy and lay Catholics, were arrested for their defiance of the regime and their refusal to renounce union with the pope. By the end of the month, some 1,200 Shanghai Catholics were arrested. Kung was imprisoned for a total of 30 years before coming to the United States in 1988.

The Diocese of Shanghai has been functionally vacant since the death of Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian in 2013. Jin had been imprisoned and sent to reeducation camps, only to be fully freed in 1982. He was made bishop of Shanghai in 1985, during Deng Xiaoping’s period of opening up, but it wasn’t until 2005 that he was recognized by the Holy See. He played a critical role in reestablishing the Sheshan Seminary and in rebuilding the local Church in Shanghai.

Bishop Joseph Xing Wenzhi, who was ordained with papal approval and government approval, was made auxiliary bishop of Shanghai in 2005 and disappeared from the public in 2011.

Auxiliary Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin, Xing’s successor, denounced the CCPA during his ordination mass on July 7, 2012; later that night he was put under house arrest in the Sheshan Seminary, where he remains to this day.