For the Pope, he seems to be banking on the continued fidelity of the submerged Church. They have faced wolves in the past and they can certainly survive a painful chord. Although the agreement does not address their emergency situation, the Vatican wishes, in the prorogation phase, to reach a solution worthy of its situation with Beijing as a priority and urgency, which would not require it to join the Patriotic Association. Before the signing of the 2018 Agreement, Pope Francis was generous in legalizing the situation of seven bishops (plus one deceased) at Beijing`s insistence. On September 17, 2020, foreign policy journalist Benedict Rogers revealed that China was no longer imposing the terms of the 2018 agreement, which was only valid for two years. [39] In announcing the agreement, Greg Burke, Director of the Holy See Press Office, stated that “the purpose of the agreement is not political but pastoral, allowing the faithful to have bishops in communion with Rome, while being recognized by the Chinese authorities.” Further complicating the situation, some analysts believe that the agreement on the selection of bishops could pave the way for formal diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the People`s Republic of China. Currently, the Vatican recognizes the government of the Republic of China in Taiwan and gives Taipei its solitary diplomatic allies in Europe. The issue of the appointment of bishops has long been a stumbling block for official diplomatic relations between Beijing and the Holy See. Beijing Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters thursday at a daily briefing that China and the Vatican had decided to extend the agreement “after friendly consultations.” The agreement has been touted by some quarters as an important step towards rapprochement and denounced in others as a betrayal. To better understand why this agreement has prompted such strong opinions, I will give a necessary historical context and then outline some hopes, risks and unanswered questions about the current state of Sino-Vatican relations. Speech delivered in Milan on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first P.I.M.E.
(Pontifical Institute for Missions Abroad) Missionaries in Henan, China, Cardinal Parolin noted that “misunderstandings” about the agreement have arisen “because extra-marital objectives or unrelated events concerning the life of the Catholic Church in China have been attributed to the agreement and that it is even related to political issues that have nothing to do with the agreement in fact “exclusively concerning the appointment of bishops.” The agreement drew opposition from church conservatives, who say it sells those who have suffered for decades in China`s underground Catholic Church because the faithful refused to recognize bishops appointed by the communist government and not by Rome. The agreement, they argue, effectively tolerates religious freedom and human rights violations in China.