While Pope Francis last week repeated his previous warning about a global conflict, he should perhaps be more concerned about his own faustian pact. The Pontiff has, of course, already come in for criticism for his stance towards the war in Ukraine. While the Pope praised Ukrainians for fighting for their survival, he has said the war was “perhaps in some way provoked”. The Vatican has since had to counter claims that Francis has been soft on Russia, maintaining that the Pope views the war as “senseless, repugnant and sacrilegious.” More recently, Pope Francis called for an end to the current “world war”, as he invoked special prayers for “martyred Ukraine.” 

Again, last week, Pope Francis said: “Unfortunately, Europe and the entire world are shaken by a particularly serious war, due to the violation of international law, the risks of nuclear escalation, and the grave economic and social consequences.” Speaking to papal representatives, Francis said a “third world war fought piecemeal” has gripped the globe, and that representatives are present in the countries involved in the various conflicts. He thanked them for bringing his closeness to peoples who are suffering. “You bring the Pope’s closeness to peoples and the Church. You are points of reference in moments of extreme bewilderment and turbulence.” 

His recent warning however comes as speculation grows that Pope Francis could meet the leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Kazakhstan this week. Xi Jinping will be in the country’s capital on the same day as Pope Francis, who will be traveling to the Central Asian state for an interfaith summit, where it was speculated he would meet the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, a meeting now not likely to take place. It is not known whether Xi will attend the interfaith meeting. If he does, it could be the first meeting between a pope and Chinese leader since the CCP took power.

The meeting with Xi would come as the Vatican is eyeing the second renewal of its 2018 deal with the CCP, where the former agreed to cooperate in the selection of bishops of a united Catholic Church in China. The objective was a merger of the Underground Catholic Church into the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA). Through the deal, the Vatican had the final say on appointments, but could only select from CCP-approved candidates. The result has been ongoing persecution of Chinese Catholics, such as Bishop Augustine Cui Tai, who has been in jail on and off since 2007. 

The CCP has reneged on the deal already and, as of 2020, makes no provision for a papal role in the process of selecting bishops, not even a right to approve or veto appointments. Instead, today churches are monitored by CCTV, while clergy must be tracked. The prospect of a meeting between the Pontiff and Chinese leader has been discussed for years but this would seem to be in poor taste given what China is doing to ethnic and religious minorities at home, and Taiwan abroad. This also comes as Cardinal Joseph Zen – a long-standing critic of the Vatican’s accommodation with the CCP – has now has his trial date set for September 19, following his arrest under China’s national security law. He and four others face charges of failing to properly register a now-defunct fund to help anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. 

German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller recently expressed dismay over the Vatican’s silence towards China’s abuses and an imminent “unfair” trial for Zen during the recent consistory. The former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, made the remarks in an interview with the Italian newspaper, Il Messengero. The cardinal said there are obviously “political reasons” for the Holy See that prevent it from taking any initiative in support of Zen, referring to the CCP deal, which Müller said “does not serve the interests of the Holy See”. 

In its faustian pact, the Vatican has allowed the CCP to control the Church within China. It is today estimated that anywhere between 20 and 50 million Chinese Christians have experienced persecution, with a 2020 report by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China finding that Chinese Catholics suffered “increasing persecution” after the 2018 deal. Religious education for any faith is now illegal for under-18s, meaning catechism classes have been closed while minors are not allowed to enter places of worship. Priests are also forced to attend government training. According to Cardinal Müller, the Church should be freer to intervene and, if necessary, criticise politicians who suppress human rights. Referring to the Zen trial, he said “I wonder why not criticise Beijing”, adding that underground Catholics “are being sacrificed on the altar of the reason of state, to defend and carry out the diplomatic agreement with Beijing.”

While no one is asking the Vatican to encourage violence or take up arms, the Pope has the authority to take a dignified stand, not least against the CCP, as well as regimes like that in Nicaragua, where the Pope has also been less than forthright given the ongoing persecution of Catholics. As Chinese Christians suffer, the Pope should send a message that persecution and human rights atrocities are intolerable. A snub of the CCP leader in Kazakhstan would send a powerful message should the Pope have the chance to meet Xi. With the CCP deal up for renewal, the Pope should also at the very least attach conditions – such as the release of clergy – to any renewal of the CCP deal, if not scrap it entirely. Anything less would be an insult to Chinese Christians and undermine the moral authority of the Church itself.

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