Beijing hopes for ‘continuous improvement’ of Vatican ties after Pope’s deputy seeks ‘stable presence in China’
- Beijing’s pledge comes after Holy See hosts Shanghai bishop for Concilium Sinense centenary, offers to ‘renew and develop’ deal on appointing bishops
- Warming ties watched closely by Vatican’s formal ally Taiwan, which has accused Beijing of ‘repeatedly violating’ deal though details are still secret
“We are willing to work together with the Vatican to promote the continuous improvement of China-Vatican relations,” Beijing’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday.
This came a day after Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s top diplomat, hosted Shanghai Bishop Joseph Shen Bin for a high-profile commemoration of the Concilium Sinense, a landmark meeting in Shanghai a century ago that affirmed the need for foreign missionaries in China to give way to local church leaders.
The concilium, the first and only Council of the Chinese Catholic Church, was held in Shanghai in May and June 1924.
The twice-renewed deal was first struck in 2018 and is set to expire again in October. The terms have never been made public.
“In recent years, China and the Vatican have maintained contact, communicated in depth on bilateral relations and international hot topics, and continuously enhanced understanding and mutual trust,” Wang at the foreign ministry added.
The Vatican City, with a population of just under 800, is the only European state that has official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which Beijing sees as a part of China, to be reunited by force if necessary.
Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
Taipei’s foreign ministry on Wednesday accused Beijing of “clamping down on religious freedom and repeatedly violating” its agreement with the Holy See, even as the details remained secret.
The Pope sent a video message to Tuesday’s event, calling the 100th anniversary “a precious occasion for many reasons”.
“The Lord in China has safeguarded the faith of the people of God along the way,” he said. “And the faith of God’s people has been the compass that has shown the way throughout this time, before and after the Council of Shanghai, until today.”
The Pope also revisited the historic conditions that led to the Concilium Sinense. Chinese-born priests and bishops were barred from leading dioceses until 1924, when a consensus was reached that the Church in China should have “a Chinese face”.