One of the most dispiriting things about the recent Vatican-China deal, and its looming second renewal (in spite of the fact that renewal will essentially green light ongoing persecution of Christians within China) is how remarkably chilled out so many Western Catholics appear to be. One would have thought Catholics would be up in arms about the Vatican’s accommodation with a regime which is accused of genocide against religious minorities, but it seems far too many remain complacent and indifferent. Now, one imprisoned Cardinal might even be being used as a bargaining chip by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Cardinal Zen is not alone. Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu of the Xinxiang diocese, arrested in May 2021, is still unaccounted for. Meanwhile Bishop Augustine Cui Tai – formerly Coadjutor Bishop in the Diocese of Xuanhua, in Hebei province – has been in jail on and off since 2007, and has been reportedly subjected to torture. Bishop Cui Tai is a “conscientious objector” who refused to join the CCP-sanctioned Church. It is estimated that anywhere between 20 and 50 million Chinese Christians have experienced persecution.

China is maybe the worst example of anti-Catholic and anti-Christian persecution, but is hardly a lone case, with ongoing discrimination in Hindu nationalist India, by Muslim groups in Nigeria, as well as the Middle East. For its part, New Delhi has sought dismissal of a petition which sought to end persecution of Christians. As reported by UCA News, the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Archbishop Peter Machado, the National Solidarity Forum and the Evangelical Fellowship of India, said an average of 45 to 50 violent attacks against Christian institutions and priests are reported each month, with a record 57 attacks in May. This comes amid concern over increasing anti-conversion laws. Meanwhile, given that three-quarters of Indian Christians belong to lower castes, there is suspicion that more than just hostility towards religion is at play.

From Asia’s most populous countries to Africa’s, Catholics and other Christians face ongoing violence in Nigeria, a country split nearly 50/50 between Christians. According to a report from the Observatory of Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA), the number of Christians killed was nearly 10-times higher than the number of Muslims killed between October 2019 and September 2020. As discussed by David Landrum in the Critic, between October 2020 and September 2021, meanwhile: “Christians were 7.8 times more likely to be killed than Muslims. Christians were also 59 times more likely to be abducted than Muslims by extremists between 2019 and 2020. Alongside these grim statistics, the report also confirms that violence against moderate Muslims is overwhelmingly from jihadist groups.”

Even in Latin America, historically considered a Catholic stronghold (although not so much these days), the Church faces state-backed repression in such countries. As the Catholic Herald recently reported, the government of Nicaragua recently ordered the closure of seven Catholic radio stations linked to a bishop who has been critical of President Daniel Ortega. Monsignor Rolando Álvarez, whose future remains in the balance, has been accused of inciting violent actors “to carry out acts of hate against the population”. Relations between the Church and Ortega deteriorated after 2018, following protests against the regime and a subsequent crackdown. The regime later accused several priests and bishops of conspiracy.

The outrage to all these attacks does exist but it is muted. Christians around the world expect solidarity from their brothers and sisters in the West, who often have greater clout to catalyse change and influence key decision-makers. Where, for instance, are the petitions against the Vatican-CCP deal, demanding that – at an absolute minimum – conditions are attached to any renewal of the agreement, such as the release of all persecuted and incarcerated clergy on trumped-up charges? But, can we really be surprised at the underwhelming reaction? The Holy See has hardly been strong in its criticism, from a somewhat understated response to the situation in Nicaragua to actual continued accommodation with the regime in Beijing.

If the Holy See can barely muster some uncompromising language on persecution of the faithful, is it little wonder that many Catholics in the West cannot either? Indeed, many Catholics are likely unaware, which is why it is incumbent upon Catholics who are aware to speak up. Every cleric unjustly imprisoned, every school burned down, every Mass interrupted, and every Church attacked is an attack on all Christians. Pope Francis now needs to speak up clearly and in no uncertain terms that the Church cannot stand idly by while this hatred and hostility takes place. If the Church hierarchy cannot do this, it is high time that lay Catholics shamed the Holy See into action.

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