TRUST ME

After announcing (but not revealing the details) of a groundbreaking agreement with the Chinese Communist Party regarding the appointment of Bishops, Pope Francis issued a letter to Chinese Catholics who have suffered decades of persecution and harassment for remaining loyal to the Bishop of Rome asking that they simply “trust” him and his diplomatic advisers who surely know more of what it means to be Catholic in China than they.

“Trust me,” the Pope insists despite the fact that all those years faithful Catholics remained loyal to Rome amount to nothing now that their resistance to the Communist intrusion into Catholicism has been embraced with open arms by the Pope himself. 

But what Pope Francis has apparently forgotten or purposely ignored is the fact that trust is a reciprocal relationship that both parties impart on the basis of promises made and fulfilled.  Most most importantly, trust requires, demands honesty and truthfulness.

“Trust me," the Holy Father insists despite the fact that little or nothing of detail is know about the agreement.  

The Pope has said that in negotiations, both parties “lose something".

Well, what exactly and precisely have faithful Catholics lost in this deal?

The Vatican has not revealed those details and has given no indication that the agreement itself will be made public.  Why?  Aren’t Chinese Catholics faithful to the Church to be trusted with the truth?

Still, the Pope tells them “trust me".

How out of touch can a Pope be?

Trust is the one commodity the Church is totally lacking these days.

The betrayal of the trust which the innocent and faithful placed in their Bishops and Pastors is at the very heart of the sexual abuse scandals that have wounded the Church in almost every part of the world.

“Trust me,” the Pope asks of Chinese Catholics.

Well, here’s the rub, Your Holiness.

Faithful Catholics in China understand that the Vatican has betrayed them repeatedly since the era of Paul VI, who made promises and declarations of resolve to mount vigorous efforts to defend and protect them only to be disappointed when it came  to follow-through.

May I be so bold as to suggest that, if Pope Francis is asking Chinese Catholics to trust him, he might initiate a movement toward establishing that trust by being forthcoming about the actual content of the agreement he has approved with the Chinese Communist Party.

Only then will Chinese Catholics know what has been “lost” versus what has been gained.

But then again, it’s always easier to insist upon trust than it is to actually engage in the efforts which trust itself requires.

The price tag for trust is proof that one is trustworthy.

Thus far, the Vatican has indicated that that price is much too costly to pay.

One last point is worth noting.  

Communism has been and always will be doomed.  Its socio-political underpinnings are flawed and ignore the fundamental and universal desire that is within a human being to be free, to be creative, to personally prosper from one’s labors.

And so, Chinese Communism carries within itself the seeds of its own destruction.  The Communist Revolution in China has endured for a scant 60 years or so.

Already, there are signs that Chinese culture is shifting toward Western values.  The Chinese economy appears to be succumbing to the pressures of the free market.  And technology is becoming more available, especially in terms of exposure to Western cultural influences.

At present, Protestant churches continue to remain resistant to the intrusion of the Communist Party in the affairs of the denominations.

In the end, Chinese Communism will fall.

What then?

What loyalty can the Holy See expect from those faithful Catholics who believe the Church abandoned them in their darkest hours?

But, then again, I guess the Holy Father would allay my concerns by simply telling me to 
“trust him”.