CHINA-VATICAN Announced the second renewal of the agreement on the appointment of bishops

Rome () – The Holy See today made official the renewal of the agreement with China regarding the appointment of bishops. An announcement accompanied by two interviews in which the critical elements of the agreement are also addressed.

Referring in particular to the presence of only six bishops, the Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, declared to vaticannews: “They are the first, while other procedures are ongoing. At the same time, we are aware that there are still many vacant dioceses and others that have very old bishops. There are also dioceses in which the path to reconciliation, so desired by Pope Francis, is setting the pace. Finally, there are dioceses where, despite efforts and goodwill, fruitful dialogue with local authorities is not being maintained. We very much hope that in the next two years we can continue identifying good candidates for the episcopate for the Church in China according to the established procedure Obviously, we do not hide the many difficulties that affect the concrete life of the Catholic communities, on which we pay our maximum attention, and for whose good solution new steps forward in a collaborative relationship that has many protagonists: the Holy See, the central authorities, the bishops with their community is, the local authorities.”.

In dialogue with the agency FidesCardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, of the Dicastery for Evangelization, also referred to the global meaning of the agreement: “The Holy See has never spoken of the agreement as the solution to all problems. It has always been perceived and affirmed that the road is long , can be exhausting and that the agreement itself could give rise to misunderstandings and disorientation.The Holy See -continued the Cardinal- does not ignore or minimize the divergence of reactions among Chinese Catholics to the agreement, where the joy of many is mixed with the perplexity of others. It’s part of the process. But you always have to ‘get your hands dirty’ with the reality of things as they are”.

Following is the first part of a comment on the renewal of this Agreement by Fr. Gianni Criveller, PIME missionary and sinologist:

As already anticipated in recent months by Pope Francis and Card. Pietro Parolin, the agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China has been renewed for another two years: this was announced today by the Vatican press office.

It is a provisional renewal: it is an interesting detail because, as far as we know, the original plans for 2018, the year in which the agreement was signed, contemplated a possible extension of two years (which in fact happened in 2020) and then a stable formalization of the agreement, or its suspension. We write this with reservations because we do not rely on written documents, but we affirm it based on information received in a timely manner from authoritative sources.

After two years, in the month of October 2022, the agreement has not been suspended or definitively confirmed. This is a provisional renewal. It is a clear sign that, at least on the part of the Vatican -the only one from which we have public statements on the matter-, there is a desire to continue the dialogue but also a certain dissatisfaction with the results obtained. We believe that the Holy See did not renew the agreement lightly, but with a keen awareness of its historical responsibility and how much is at stake for the lives of believers, faith and evangelization in China.

Cardinal Parolin had said on April 11 that he hoped that the ongoing negotiations would lead to clarifications and even the “revision of some points.” We do not know if these legitimate wishes have been fulfilled. We fear not.

For his part, the Pope himself, on at least two occasions, on September 1, 2021 and in an interview with Reuters last July, he had stated that things were going slowly and that the results were below expectations. However, the Pope also said that something had been done, that is, some appointments, and that it was necessary to move forward on the path of dialogue. He added that China’s pace must be taken into account, which he described as slow, because this country has a long historical perspective and is not in a hurry.

Vatican observers and officials suggested that the pandemic, which prevented direct contacts for more than two years, may have contributed to some extent to the deal’s limited success. However, as the content remains secret, it is difficult to accurately assess the results.

In a recent article (see: (https://www.asianews.it/notizie-it/Accordo-Cina-Vaticano:-i-vescovi-ordinati-e-le-diocesi-vacanti-56227.html), He reviewed the episcopal appointments after the agreement: there are only six, of which at least two had already been decided before the agreement. In addition, six bishops took possession of their dioceses, three unofficial and therefore recognized by the government; and three officials who had not yet entered the dioceses assigned to him.

It must be remembered that, before the agreement, along with the reprehensible cases of illegitimate elections (that is, not recognized by the Holy See), there were cases in which the Holy See and the Chinese authorities converged on the same person, autonomously. . Or one of the parties, after some time, recognized the choice of the other. Therefore, the consensual appointment of bishops should not always be so difficult.

There were only two appointments in 2021 and none in 2022. The result is very modest, and must be compared with the large number of dioceses that remain without a bishop: at least 36, more than a third of the 96 government-recognized dioceses in China.

This unresolved situation shows that the agreement is not a motor that has set in motion the ecclesiastical life in China. They should be the best years for new and numerous appointments: there is no shortage of priests of episcopal age, there is no shortage of candidates. Although in the future, there may be a shortage of priests suitable for appointment, since the number of candidates for the priesthood also decreases in China and there is a certain number of priests leaving the ministry.

In the two decades prior to the agreement, Liu Bainian, historical leader of the Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics, justified the massive resort to illegitimate ordinations of bishops, such as that of January 6, 2000, precisely because of the need to give a bishop to waiting dioceses. And he accused the Vatican of preventing the Catholic flock from having its own pastors. So even the Chinese authorities acknowledge that there is no Catholic life without a bishop. However, the situation, which weakens the practice of the faith of the Chinese Catholic communities, continues for a long time. Or maybe that is exactly what is wanted.

This is just one aspect of the inconsistencies that cast doubt on the government’s sincerity in pursuing the ongoing dialogue. The legislation of February 1, 2018 that severely restricts religious practice is applied with unprecedented severity, although not uniformly in time and territory. In some places, the ban on minors attending religious services and receiving doctrine and sacraments is particularly severe. This seriously endangers the transmission of the faith.

Episcopal ordinations, even those agreed upon in the outline of the agreement, do not admit witnesses from the universal Church, as was the case in the past. UcaNews, the information agency promoted by the Asian Churches, used to send observers who attended episcopal ordinations. This is not like that. The china section of UcaNews no longer exists AND ordinations in China are carried out under very strict control by the police and religious policy officials. A control that extends to the smallest details, such as filming and photographs. The papal appointment, although provided for in the agreement, is not always read during the rite.

The bishops of China do not usually meet freely. Meetings of bishops and priests from different provinces are discouraged. Activities within the same province are more feasible, but some bishops and priests feel isolated and alone, a loneliness that increases the possible cases of poor performance in the exercise of their authority and in the management of resources. The formation of the bishops, even of the new bishops appointed by the Pope, is almost non-existent. Unless the political indoctrination meetings organized by the authorities in which the bishops are obliged to participate are considered training.

* Missionary and sinologist of the PIME

(part one – part two will be published on Monday, October 24, 2022)