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April 4, 2023

Bishop installed in Shanghai, apparently without Vatican agreement

A poster of Chinese President Xi Jinping hangs next to a crucifix on the wall of the house of a Tibetan Catholic on Christmas Eve in Niuren village, in China's Yunnan province, in this Dec. 24, 2018, file photo.

In an apparent breach of the Vatican's agreement with China on the appointment of bishops, the bishop of Haimen was installed as the bishop of Shanghai April 4.

Published in International
January 13, 2023

U.S. religious liberty expert 'disappointed' in Vatican-China deal

A poster of Chinese President Xi Jinping hangs next to a crucifix on the wall of the house of a Tibetan Catholic on Christmas Eve in Niuren village, in China's Yunnan province, in this Dec. 24, 2018, file photo.

The United States' chief advocate for religious freedom expressed his "disappointment" in the Vatican over its provisional agreement with China on the appointment of bishops in the country.

Published in International
November 25, 2020

Vatican says bishop ordained in China is in communion with pope

The Chinese national flag flies in front of a Catholic church in the village of Huangtugang, Hebei province, China.

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican confirmed that a bishop recently ordained in China is in full communion with the pope and that more Vatican-approved nominations would be coming.

Published in Vatican
September 29, 2020

Vatican proposes renewal of agreement with China on bishops' appointments

Vatican proposes renewal of agreement with China on bishops' appointments

VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican has proposed to the Chinese government that they extend an agreement signed in 2018 regarding the appointment of bishops, Vatican Media reported.

Published in Vatican
September 22, 2020

Pompeo: Vatican-China agreement endangers Church's moral authority

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters following a meeting with members of the U.N. Security Council at U.N. headquarters in New York Aug. 20, 2020.

VATICAN CITY -- About 10 days before he was expected in Rome, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that the Vatican "endangers its moral authority" by considering an extension of its 2018 agreement with China on the nomination of bishops.

Published in International
March 18, 2019

Vatican-China agreement motivated by mission, Cardinal Parolin says

Villagers walk near a Catholic church in the village of Huangtugang, Hebei province, China, Sept. 30, 2018. In a new book, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, writes that the Vatican's recent agreement with the Chinese government was motivated by a desire to spread the Gospel and assure freedom of the church.
VATICAN – The Vatican's tentative agreement with the government of mainland China obviously has a diplomatic component, but it was motivated by a desire to spread the Gospel and ensure the appropriate freedom of the Catholic Church, the Vatican secretary of state wrote.
Published in International
November 9, 2018

Four underground priests reportedly abducted in China's Hebei province

A priest celebrates Mass in 2012 in a makeshift chapel in a village near Beijing. For the first time in decades, all of the Catholic bishops in China are in full communion with the pope, the Vatican announced Sept. 22.
XUANHUA, China – Four priests from the underground Catholic Church in China's Hebei province have been taken into police custody for indoctrination, AsiaNews reported Monday.
Published in International
October 27, 2018

Chinese authorities destroy two Marian shrines despite Vatican-China deal

A woman prays Oct. 1 outside St. Joseph Catholic Church in Beijing.
BEIJING, China – As part of an ongoing crackdown on religious practice in the country, Chinese authorities demolished two Catholic Marian shrines this week. The move comes just one month after the Chinese government signed an agreement with the Vatican regarding the appointment of bishops.
Published in International
October 26, 2018

Vatican-China deal will lead to 'annihilation' of Church in China, Cardinal Zen says in NYT op-ed

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, retired bishop of Hong Kong, speaks to members of the media during a news conference in Hong Kong Sept. 26 concerning Pope Francis' landmark agreement with China over bishop nominations.
HONG KONG – The recent agreement between the Vatican and China is a step towards the “annihilation” of the Catholic Church in China, Cardinal Joseph Zen, former bishop of Hong Kong, wrote in a New York Times op-ed published on Wednesday.
Published in International
September 26, 2018

Time to heal, restore full communion, evangelize, Pope tells Catholics in China

A Catholic priest celebrates Sunday Mass in Beijing in this Dec. 4, 2016, file photo. In a special message addressed "to the Catholics of China and to the universal church," released by the Vatican Sept. 26, Pope Francis said he hoped a recent Sin-Vatican agreement would help "restore full communion among all Chinese Catholics."
VATICAN – The recent Vatican-China agreement on the nomination of bishops seeks the true good of the church, the promotion of preaching the Gospel in China and the re-establishment of the church's full and visible unity, Pope Francis said in a message to Catholics in China and worldwide.
Published in International