Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The Vatican accused the Chinese authorities of violating a bilateral agreement on the appointment of bishops, on Saturday (11/26/2022) by installing him in a diocese not recognized by the Holy See.
The statement said the Vatican learned “with surprise and regret” that bishops from other districts had been appointed assistant or assistant bishops in Jiangxi.
Reported Reutersthe unauthorized appointment appears to be one of the most serious violations of the 2018 agreement between the Vatican and Beijing on the appointment of bishops.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.
The agreement, which some Catholics have denounced as a sale to the Chinese Communist authorities, was extended for two years in October. Details are still being kept under wraps.
The Vatican does not recognize Jiangxi as a diocese, the statement said, adding that the structure was not “in line with the spirit of dialogue” the two sides agreed to in 2018.
It is stated, without going into detail, that Bishop John Peng Weizhao was appointed “after intense pressure from local authorities”.
Catholic News Agency, AsiaNews he said Peng was secretly ordained a bishop with the Pope’s permission in 2014, four years before the deal, and was being held in prison for six months at the time.
The Vatican is awaiting an explanation from the Chinese authorities and hopes that “a similar incident will not happen again,” said the statement, quoted on Sunday (11/27/2022).
The accord is an attempt to bridge a long-standing divide in mainland China between the pro-pope underground masses and the officially supported church. For the first time since the 1950s, both sides have recognized the pope as the supreme head of the Catholic Church.
Critics, Cardinal Joseph Zen, former archbishop of Hong Kong, accused him of having made too many concessions to China.
The Vatican’s statement came a day after a Hong Kong court found Zen and five others guilty of registering a now-defunct foundation for pro-democracy protesters.
Only six new bishops have been appointed since the deal was signed, which opponents say shows the deal isn’t having the desired effect. They also point to the growing restrictions on religious freedom for Christians and other minorities in China.
When the agreement was last renewed, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, its main architect, said that while the achievements since 2018 “may seem small,” in the context of conflicting stories, they are “one step important towards the progressive healing of the wounds inflicted” on the Chinese Church.
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