How China defied Vatican again by unilaterally appointing bishop to Shanghai

China has gone against the Vatican again. As per reports, the authorities in the Asian nation have appointed a new bishop to Shanghai, without consulting with the Vatican. The Vatican said on Tuesday (4 April) that Beijing informed the Holy See – the government of the Roman Catholic Church – “a few days ago” about its decision to shift Shen Bin, the Bishop of Jiangsu province’s Haimen, to China’s largest Roman Catholic diocese in Shanghai, reported Reuters. What has the Vatican said about this unilateral appointment? Has such instance happened before? What are the relations between China and The Holy See? Let’s find out. China again breaks agreement with the Vatican Beijing has reportedly violated its agreement with the Vatican by unilaterally installing Bishop Shen Bin at the Shanghai diocese. Accoridng to Aleteia, the bishop leads the Chinese Council of Bishops, which is not recognised by the Holy See. Matteo Bruni, the director of the Vatican press office, told reporters that they learnt about Shen Bin’s transfer earlier on Tuesday through the media. “For the moment, I have nothing to say about the Holy See’s assessment of the matter,” Bruni was quoted as saying by Reuters. Sources told AsiaNews, a Catholic news agency, that “the appointment is unilateral, without papal approval”.

This means China flouted the 2018 bilateral pact between the nation and the Vatican on the appointment of bishops.

China and the Vatican reached a deal in 2018 that gave the Holy See final say over bishops selected by Beijing, as per Associated Press (AP). There has to be a discussion between the two states, but Pope Francis says he has the final decision-making power. The details of this agreement have not been released to date. [caption id=“attachment_12412462” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Catholics in China have been divided into those who follow the party-controlled church and an underground church loyal to the Pope. Reuters (Representational Image)[/caption] This secret pact has been renewed twice by both sides in the past five years, with the latest in October 2022. ALSO READ: Vatican owns up to its past mistakes, rejects doctrine used to justify colonial abuse Has China done this before? Yes. This is apparently the second time that Beijing has broken the 2018 interim deal. Last November, the Vatican accused China of installing Bishop John Peng Weizhao as an auxiliary bishop in the province of Jiangxi – a diocese not recognised by the Holy See. In a rare rebuke, the Vatican had said: “The Holy See hopes that such episodes will not be repeated", reported Aleteia. Following the incident, China had said it was willing to increase “friendly consensus” with the Vatican over bishop nominations. China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at the time that the country’s relations with the Vatican had improved in the past years. “China is willing to continuously expand the friendly consensus with the Vatican side and jointly maintain the spirit of our interim agreement,” he was quoted as saying by AP. In March this year, Holy See’s senior diplomat, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, said in a no-holds-barred interview that the Vatican’s intention was “to get the best deal possible”, which “certainly this agreement is not the best deal possible because of the other party”, reported Catholic News Agency (CNA).  “It wasn’t really a great time to sign the deal, for various reasons. It was always going to be difficult; it was always going to be used by the Chinese party to bring greater pressure on the Catholic community, particularly on the so-called underground Church. So we just go forward", he said of the 2018 interim agreement. However, the Holy See diplomat added that the Vatican and Chinese authorities have grown in “a greater understanding, a greater respect” over the last few years, CNA reported. China-Vatican relations It is complicated. China and the Vatican do not have diplomatic relations since the 1950s when the Asian giant’s ruling Communist Party had asked the country’s Roman Catholics to cut off ties with the Vatican, as per the AP report.

It is estimated there are anywhere between 6 million and 12 million Catholics in China.

People in China were only allowed to worship in churches affiliated with the state-backed Patriotic Catholic Association for decades. While this Association adheres to Vatican doctrine, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has rebuffed any role of the pontiff in nominating bishops in China or in managing the churches. Catholics in China have since been divided into those who follow the party-controlled church and an underground church loyal to the Pope, noted AP. The 2018 agreement on bishop appointments between China and the Vatican was to ease this division across the mainland. This was the first time since the 1950s that China recognised the Pope as the supreme leader of the Catholic Church, says Reuters. Chang Chia-lin, a professor of religious studies at Tamkang University in Taiwan, told AP last September: “The deal has brought China and the Vatican closer together in the past four years”. “In the future, if China agrees to let the pope make a visit, I think the possibility for Vatican-China to establish diplomatic relations will deepen,” Chang added. Last September, Reuters reported citing sources that the Vatican had approached China for a meeting between Pope Francis and Chinese president Xi Jinping as both leaders were in Kazakhstan’s capital at the same time; however, Beijing had declined, saying there was not enough time. When asked by reporters if he would go to China, Francis told reporters then:  “I am always ready to go to China”. [caption id=“attachment_12412442” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Pope Francis has said he is ready to visit China. Reuters File Photo[/caption] Crackdown under Xi Jinping Under Xi’s rule, China has launched a crackdown on all religions in the country, including Christianity and Islam and to some extent – Buddhism and Daoism, as per the AP report. Xi wants to “Sinicize” religion, meaning the followers must adhere to the officially atheist Communist Party’s rulings on all issues, giving it ultimate control. Informal churches have faced immense pressure, with many being raided by authorities and forced to shut down. “In China, an ordinary Christian, or Catholic, they have limited religious freedom. They can go to the church for Mass and prayer, and this so-called limited religious freedom, and it’s under the church which is controlled by the Communist Party,” Chang told AP. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .