 "Cardinal Pietro Parolin: Pope frontrunner's 2018 China deal under scanner ahead of secret papal conclave")
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the top contender for pope, has brought focus to China, a country that has little to no connection with the upcoming conclave, especially as it recognises Buddhism as its religion.
Parolin, the late Pope Francis’s right hand, who is poised to take over the top Catholic post, was the engineer of a Vatican pact with China aimed at diminishing the differences between the underground churches that are loyal to the pope and the official church that owes allegiance to Beijing.
What was Parolin’s role in the deal?
Parolin was the lead negotiator in the 2018 deal between the Holy See and the Chinese Communist Party. The pact ended up in a compromise that gave China a say in the appointment of Catholic Bishops in the country.
Throughout his career, China—home to an estimated 6 to 12 million Catholics—remained a consistent concern. During the violent years of Maoist rule and the Cultural Revolution, many Chinese Catholics were forced to practice their faith in secret.
Chinese Catholics not on board
Paroline’s decision on the China-Vatican deal was not welcomed by Catholics in the country, who have said it was a miscalculated call.
John Allen Jr, editor of Crux, a Catholic news website, said, “Generations of Chinese Catholics have been martyred for their refusal to accept Communist control of the Catholic church. Others have been imprisoned, tortured, harassed and persecuted… and some of them regard this deal as a betrayal of their suffering.”
Who is Paroline?
Parolin has been the Vatican’s secretary of state for the last 12 years, effectively the number two position in the Church. He is also the Vatican’s top diplomat.
The two roles mean Parolin - a 70-year-old from a small town in Italy’s deeply Catholic northern Veneto region - is perhaps the candidate best known to the 133 cardinal electors who will enter the Sistine Chapel for the start of the secret conclave on Wednesday.
Parolin is seen as a quiet diplomat who is pragmatic more than conservative or progressive. He occasionally had to quietly put out fires caused by the late pope’s remarks.
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