Vatican official hints at de-facto deal with China on Bishops

A senior Vatican official has hinted that there is an unofficial agreement between the Holy See and Beijing on the appointment of bishops, even as negotiations to formalise arrangements continue to hit roadblocks.

Aug 18, 2017

By Michael Sainsbury
A senior Vatican official has hinted that there is an unofficial agreement between the Holy See and Beijing on the appointment of bishops, even as negotiations to formalise arrangements continue to hit roadblocks.

Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, who attended a conference on the sensitive topic of organ donation and transplantation in the southern Chinese city of Kunming, offered the hint during an interview with state-run Global Times on Aug. 4.

“We need to make a distinction between a formal agreement and the real things (that are happening among the public).

The real thing is that, at this moment, China and (the) Pope have a very good relationship,” said Bishop Sorondo.
Observers have been increasingly confident that a process has been put in place as the two sides work towards a formal agreement, especially after the appointment of five new bishops in 2015 and 2016 that were jointly recognized by both sides.

But a formal agreement on three bishops appointed by Beijing, but not recognised by Rome appears to be stuck. Two of them are understood to have family relationships inconsistent with the priesthood and another has a cloud over him regarding possible criminal offences.

Still, others have noted the tenuousness of any deal — either official or in practice — with the ruling Communist Party after the talks appeared to slow further during the last round in June and then the Vatican hit out at Beijing for its extra-judicial detention of Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of Wenzhou.

A process to normalise the appointment of bishops in China, so they are confirmed by both the Vatican and the ruling Communist Party’s own non-Rome affiliated Catholic bodies, has been at the centre of negotiations over three years. The talks were resumed by Pope Francis who has made Asia, and China in particular, a key focus of his papacy after all talks were suspended under his predecessor Benedict XVI around 2009.

Bishop Sorondo also told Global Times that Pope Francis loves China and that the Vatican hopes the country has a great future.

The Vatican is committed to addressing the issue of climate change, which the Chinese people closely follow, and the Pope considers very important, the 75-year-old bishop said. --ucanews.com

Total Comments:0

Name
Email
Comments