Vatican confirms renewal of contested Catholic Church accord with China on bishops’ appointments

Only six new bishops have been appointed since the deal was struck, which opponents say proves it is not producing desired effects

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle says authorities must be convinced ‘belonging to the church does not represent an obstacle to being a good Chinese citizen’

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The latest Vatican-China deal centres on cooperation over the appointment of bishops, giving the pope the final and decisive say. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:25pm, 22 Oct 2022

The Vatican on Saturday said it and China had renewed a secret and contested agreement on the appointment of Catholic bishops in the country.

It was the second time the accord, which is still provisional, was extended for another two years since it was first reached in 2018. The latest extension had been widely expected.

The deal was a bid to ease a long-standing divide across mainland China between an underground flock loyal to the pope and a state-backed official church. For the first time since the 1950s, both sides recognised the pope as supreme leader of the Catholic Church.

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China and the Vatican renew controversial bishops deal after ‘good start’

The Vatican-China deal centres on cooperation over the appointment of bishops, giving the pope the final and decisive say.

Only six new bishops have been appointed since the deal was struck, which its opponents say proves it is not producing the desired effects. They also point to increasing restrictions on religious freedoms in China for Christians and other minorities.

In an interview with Reuters in July, Pope Francis acknowledged that the deal “is going slowly” but that the church needed to take the long view in China, and that an imperfect dialogue was better than no contact at all.

Pope Francis compared the deal’s opponents to those who criticised Popes John XXII and Paul VI in the 1960s and 1970s over the so-called small-steps policy, in which the Vatican struck sometimes uncomfortable deals with Eastern European communist nations to keep the church alive during the Cold War and limit its persecution there.

Vatican confirms renewal of contested Catholic Church accord with China on bishops’ appointments

Only six new bishops have been appointed since the deal was struck, which opponents say proves it is not producing desired effects Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle says authorities must be convinced ‘belonging to the church does not represent an obstacle to being a good Chinese citizen’

Only six new bishops have been appointed since the deal was struck, which opponents say proves it is not producing desired effects

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle says authorities must be convinced ‘belonging to the church does not represent an obstacle to being a good Chinese citizen’