October 23, 2024: A communiqué released by the Vatican on October 22, 2024 states “In light of the consensus reached for an effective application of the Provisional Agreement regarding the Appointment of Bishops, after appropriate consultation and assessment, the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China have agreed to extend further its validity for four years from the present date.”
According to news reports, “the deal resolved one of the major sticking points in recent years, with the Vatican agreeing to accept seven bishops who were previously named by Beijing without the pope’s consent.”
In 2018 the Vatican, which does not have diplomatic relations with the PRC, signed a secret and controversial agreement with the Chinese government on the appointment of bishops. Under the deal, Beijing provides a short list of candidates, and the Pope makes the final decision and also has a veto on bishops recommended by the Chinese government. The contested deal which has now been extended three times with the earlier two extensions in 2020 and 2022 is unpopular amongst many in the Vatican as it entails sharing the right of appointment of bishops with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
China Source, a US-registered NGO, that educates the global church on critical issues facing the church and ministries in China, said “the agreement under discussion has been heavily criticized outside of China by those who assert that the Vatican lacks understanding of Chinese political culture, most especially the communist way of understanding religious freedom.” The organization said “After the Sino-Vatican Agreement, Chinese Catholics have suffered greater oppression at the hands of CCP religious officials than before it was signed.”
Lin Jian, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told reporters “through friendly consultations, the two sides have decided to extend the agreement for another four years. The two sides will maintain talks with a constructive spirit and continue to promote the improvement of China-Vatican relations.”
The Church in China for decades has been divided into an “official” Church run by the government-backed Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA), and a so-called “underground” Church in union with Rome. The 2018 deal, ostensibly, was intended to unite the two.
The National Catholic Reporter stated that Pope Francis “has reached out to China during trips to Asia both this year and last year, repeating his desire to visit the country on a flight home from Singapore last month (September).” It went on to add “relations were stymied over China’s insistence on its exclusive right to name bishops as a matter of national sovereignty, while the Vatican insisted the pope has the right to name the successors of the original Apostles. The 2018 agreement sought to find a middle ground, although Rome has acknowledged it was a bad deal and the only one it could get. The Holy See’s outreach to China under Francis has drawn criticism, especially from American conservatives who have accused the Vatican of selling out the faithful who have been forced underground.”
