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Reuters

Pope Francis paid tribute on Wednesday to Chinese Catholics for holding on to their faith despite “hardships and trials”, an apparent reference to Beijing’s restrictions on religion.
His comments to tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his weekly general audience came as the Vatican and China are still in the implementation phase of a landmark deal, signed in September, on the appointment of bishops.
The deal has split Catholics in China and around the world, with some critics of the Pope saying he has caved in to the Communist government.
The deal’s most outspoken critic has been Cardinal Joseph Zen, the former archbishop of Hong Kong.

Francis said that this Friday would mark a feast day particularly celebrated by Catholics at the shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan, near Shanghai.
“This happy occasion allows me to express special closeness and affection to all the Catholics in China, who, among daily hardships and trials, continue to believe, to hope and to love,” he said.
Pope admits Catholics will suffer after Vatican deal with Beijing
He also urged Catholics in China to “always remain united in communion with the universal Church”.
China’s constitution guarantees religious freedom, but since President Xi Jinping took office six years ago, the government has tightened restrictions on religions seen as a challenge to the authority of the ruling Communist Party.
The government has cracked down on underground churches, both Protestant and Catholic, even as it seeks to improve relations with the Vatican.
China has been following a policy it calls the “Sinicisation” of religion, trying to root out foreign influences and enforce obedience to the Communist Party.

Restrictions on religion in China have attracted particular concern in the United States. In March, during a visit to Hong Kong, the US ambassador for religious freedom called on Beijing to end religious persecution.
Also in March, a senior Chinese official accused Western forces of trying to use Christianity to influence Chinese society and even “subvert” the government, warning that Chinese Christians needed to follow a Chinese model of the religion.
The Pope has defended the Vatican deal with China on the appointment of bishops, saying he, and not the Beijing government, would have the final say on who was named.
China’s 12 million Catholics have been split between an underground church swearing loyalty to the Vatican and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association.
The Vatican has said the absence of a deal could have led to a schism between Chinese Catholics that would have been difficult to heal.


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Religion in China

Pope Francis expresses ‘special affection’ for Chinese Catholics who suffer ‘daily hardships and trials’

Pope Francis expressed his “special closeness and affection to all the Catholics in China”. Photo: Reuters

epa07247729 Catholics receive the Eucharist during he Christmas Eve mass in the Xishiku Catholic Church in Beijing, China, 25 December 2018. Catholics in China attend church masses as they prepare to celebrate the religious holiday to commemorate the birth of Christ. EPA-EFE/WU HONG

Pope Francis meets with members of the Chinese community, at the end of the weekly general audience in the Vatican, May 22, 2019. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

China’s deal with Vatican faces key test with appointment of first bishop under new arrangement

FILE PHOTO: The Chinese national flag flies in front of a Catholic underground church in the village of Huangtugang, Hebei province, China, September 30, 2018. Picture taken September 30, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo

A procession walks through the church during mass on Holy Thursday, ahead of Easter celebrations at Beijing's government sanctioned South Cathedral in Beijing on March 29, 2018. A historic agreement between the Vatican and Beijing on the appointment of bishops in China could be signed as early as this Saturday, a Chinese government-approved bishop said in a report published on March 29. / AFP PHOTO / GREG BAKER

China’s list of candidates will be submitted to Pope Francis for vetting. Photo: AFP

What does the Vatican agreement on bishop appointments mean for China’s Catholics?

Some underground worshippers fear there is little for them in the deal

Pope Francis delivers his message during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2018. Pope Francis on Wednesday urged Chinese Catholics to overcome past divisions and open a new phase of faith following a landmark agreement over bishop nominations aimed at ending decades of estrangement between the Vatican and Beijing that had split the church. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Bishop Joseph Li Shan leads a mass at the South Cathedral in Beijing on September 22, 2018. - China and the Vatican will push to improve bilateral ties after the two sides signed a "provisional" agreement on the appointment of bishops, the Chinese foreign ministry said on September 22, 2018. (Photo by Nicolas ASFOURI / AFP)

A worn bible is seen at the new government-sanctioned Catholic cathedral in Xincun, in China's central Henan province on August 12, 2018. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)

FILE PHOTO: A man decorates a government-sanctioned Catholic church a day before Easter in Youtong village, Hebei province, China, March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo

Many Catholics in China, especially younger followers, have admitted to being unaware of the rift between Beijing and Rome. Photo: AP

News

China

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People & Culture

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Pontiff speaks as Vatican and China remain in implementation phase of landmark deal on the appointment of bishops
Holy See urges Catholics in China to ‘always remain united in communion with the universal Church’


Pontiff speaks as Vatican and China remain in implementation phase of landmark deal on the appointment of bishops.


Catholic Church

Pope Francis