Pope Francis to Bow to China With Concession on Bishops
Vatican to move to end standoff and gain authority by recognizing seven excommunicated prelates

Pope Francis has decided to accept the legitimacy of seven Catholic bishops appointed by the Chinese government, a concession that the Holy See hopes will lead Beijing to recognize the pope’s authority as head of the Catholic Church in China, according to a person familiar with the plan.

For years, the Vatican didn’t recognize their ordinations, which were done in defiance of the pope and considered illicit, part of a long-running standoff between the Catholic Church and China’s officially atheist Communist Party.

The pope will lift the excommunications of the seven bishops and recognize them as the leaders of their dioceses, according to the person familiar with the situation. A Vatican spokesman declined to comment.

The decision reflects the Holy See’s desire for better relations with China—a country where Christianity is growing fast, though mostly in the form of Protestantism—and for an end to division between a government-controlled church and a larger so-called underground church loyal to Rome.

The pope’s conciliatory approach is especially stark at a moment when China is tightening its grip on religious practice under the more assertive leadership of President Xi Jinping.

Many Catholic parishioners and priests in China have shunned state control—and state-appointed bishops—to keep faith with the Vatican. Believers have been imprisoned, harassed and otherwise persecuted.

Cardinal Joseph Zen, a former bishop of Hong Kong and a prominent champion of such Catholics, warned against any deal between China and the Holy See. “Winston Churchill said, ‘How can we deal with a totalitarian regime? How can we trust a totalitarian regime?’ They are simply not trustworthy,” he said in an interview.

Some in the church see a rapprochement with an increasingly powerful Beijing as necessary for maintaining influence in China. Cardinal John Tong, who until August was bishop of Hong Kong, called a rapprochement the “lesser of two evils” last year in an influential essay.
The Vatican has told Beijing informally of the pope’s decision, which he has yet to sign into law, but which could be announced this spring, according to the person familiar with the situation.

It would then be up to Beijing to accept a proposed agreement giving the pope veto power on future bishop candidates, whom he would approve or veto after their selection by the Chinese government. Beijing’s major condition for that agreement has been that the pope recognize the seven bishops, the person said.

China’s ruling Communist Party keeps a tight hand on all religious practice, mandating that religious institutions be free of foreign control. New regulations that went into effect on Thursday require that religious institutions gain government approval for teaching plans, overseas pilgrimages and other activities.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/pope-fr...ops-1517507751

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