While introducing more restrictive rules on religious practice, President Xi Jinping's stated goal has been the “Sinicization” of religions, or to diffuse “religious theories with Chinese character” into the five official religions supervised by the government, including the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
This past March, China instituted a major change in its religious oversight by abolishing the State Administration for Religious Affairs and shifting direct control to the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department (UFWD).
As a result, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association will now be under the day-to-day direct supervision of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This is similar to another bureaucratic change in China earlier this week, that gave the CCP direct control of movies, television, books, and radio.
As a result, the Bishops' Conference will be even less autonomous and more directly managed by an atheist communist party department.
The obvious result would be more pressure for religious entities in China to make clear that their first and foremost allegiance is to the party and not to their religion.
China has long been known for its strict control of information, through means including internet access restriction and the creation of alternative social media platforms that are completely controlled by government surveillance and censorship.
Critics fear this model could increasingly be adopted in the realm of religion as well.
The Vatican has been in negotiations with Xi’s regime on the appointment of Bishops.
Some commentators have speculated that any such agreement will involve the Holy See picking Bishops from a selection of candidates proposed by the Episcopal Conference, which, as of this latest change will be more directly controlled by the CCP.
The trends in freedom of religion are pointing in a negative direction under Xi Jinping.
And so, the Parliament that gave Xi Jinping lifelong rule also has granted the atheist Communist party direct oversight of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
According to the latest reports, a deal between the Vatican and Beijing could be signed within weeks.
Currently every Bishop recognized by Beijing must be a member of the Patriotic Association, and many Bishops appointed by the Vatican who are not recognized or approved by the Chinese government have faced government persecution.
Cardinal Joseph Zen has criticized the fact that as one of two Chinese Cardinals, he has not been made aware of the contents of the agreement. “Certainly they can’t make public all the contents of the negotiation,” he said, but as one of the two cardinals for China, “would I not have the right to know the contents?”
Yet even if the contents of the deal were commonly known, “should we just wait and hold hands and make critiques only once it’s been accomplished?”
Cardinal Zen said the “democratic election” of new Bishops in China by the “illegitimate Episcopal Conference” would mean that it is really the government who elects the Prelates, so the “final word” of the Pope “cannot save his function; the formality of maintaining Pontifical authority will hide the fact that the real authority to name Bishops will be placed in the hands of an atheist government.”
If Pope Francis were to sign the agreement tomorrow, Zen said he “could not criticize it,” even if he doesn’t understand the decision. But until then, “I have the duty to speak with a loud voice according to my conscience, I have the right to reiterate that this is a bad agreement!”
It is curious how anxious and enthusiastic the Vatican is to make this agreement with the Chinese Communist leader and his party.
In response, I echo the wisdom of Rabbi Gamaliel who cautioned the Sanhedrin in its eagerness to punish or execute the Apostles as they proclaimed Christ’s Resurrection: if their work is of human origin, it will fail; if they are doing the work of God, no one can stop its success.
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