The Vatican and the Chinese government renewed their Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops for a further four years.
A statement from the Holy See on 22 October said this followed “the consensus reached for an effective application” of the agreement and “appropriate consultation and assessment”.
“The Vatican party remains dedicated to furthering the respectful and constructive dialogue with the Chinese party, in view of the further development of bilateral relations for the benefit of the Catholic Church in China and the Chinese people as a whole,” it said.
This was the third renewal of the agreement since it was first signed in 2018, as a means for Rome to regularise dioceses in China after decades of episcopal appointments by the Beijing authorities without papal consent. All three previous periods were for two years.
Although the terms of the agreement remain secret, supporters said the renewal evidenced an evolution in relations between the parties despite apparent irregularities over the six years of the agreement.
The theologian Michel Chambon, coordinator of the Institute for the Study of Asian Catholics and the National University of Signapore, said that “the longer term of four years indicates that progress has been made in bilateral trust”.
“With this new agreement, Beijing is more confident that Catholics do not represent a subversive foreign force,” he said. “The [Chinese Communist Party] is less afraid of Catholic dissent. This change of attitude alone will help improve the situation of Chinese Catholics.”
On 25 October, the Vatican reported the consecration of Matteo Zhen Xuebin as new coadjutor bishop for the Archdiocese of Beijing – with a right of succession to Archbishop Joseph Li Shan – after Pope Francis appointed him on 28 August, under the terms of the agreement.
Two bishops from the Chinese mainland, Archbishop Joseph Yang Yongqiang of Hangzhou and Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu of Xiapu, attended the full Rome session of the Synod on Synodality this October. The two Chinese delegates to the first session in October last year – including Yang – departed before its conclusion and did not address the assembly.
Both delegates addressed this year’s assembly, focusing on questions of inculturation and communion. “We effectively adapt to society, serve it, adhere to the direction of the sinicisation of Catholicism, and preach the Good News,” said Archbishop Yang, who is vice-president of the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA).
Bishop Zhan addressed “the discernment between cultural differences and the need to preserve the authenticity of the Christian faith”.
“Being a synodal Church engaged in the mission of evangelisation means respecting and listening to the voices of different stories, cultures, and traditions in the journey of seeking humanity’s ultimate goal, which is God,” he said.
Critics of the agreement said the Vatican was failing to defend the “underground Church” led by bishops who refused to join the CCPA as required by the Chinese authorities.
“Beijing’s persecution and pressure targeting Chinese Catholic bishops have intensified since the agreement was signed,” wrote the human rights lawyer Nina Shea in a report published on 17 October by the Hudson Institute, a US think tank.
Her report recorded the cases of ten bishops targeted by the authorities since 2018, including seven who have been indefinitely detained by the authorities.
“In over 30 years of dialogue with China, the Vatican has kept silent or publicly downplayed China’s denials of religious freedom,” she said, comparing this to the Ostpolitik of the Cold War. “Faithful Catholic leaders in China suffer and die for their beliefs in obscurity, with few outside their own dioceses aware of their heroism and inspiring stories.”
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