The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is “tremendously disappointed” with the Vatican’s decision to renew its deal with China, and it has expressed as much to the upper echelons of the U.S. government, according to one of the commissioners.
“I certainly understand as a Catholic that the Vatican is playing the long game here and not thinking about the immediate circumstances, but I think that these agreements have not produced any improvement in religious freedom for Catholics in China, and I think that the Holy See should really rethink its decision to dance with Xi on this whole business,” said USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck.
In its 2022 report, USCIRF stated that “despite the Vatican-China agreement on bishops appointments, authorities continue to harass and detain underground Catholic priests who refuse to join the state-controlled Catholic association, such as Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu of Xixiang, Hebei Province.”
The Holy See announced on Oct. 22 that its deal with China regarding the appointment of bishops was renewed for another two years. The deal was signed in September 2018, and extended in October 2020. The exact terms of the agreement have never been made public.
