ICC Note:
The President of human rights watchdog, China Aid, says that an agreement between Beijing and the Vatican could worsen persecution for Catholics and Christians in China. The trouble is, he explains, that a warming of relations between the Catholic Church and China could embolden Chinese authorities to crack down harder on religious movements outside of the state-run church. China has already been ramping up its crackdown against unregistered churches at unprecedented levels in an attempt to bring all religious movements under its control. Legitimizing only part of the underground church may further de-legitimize the rest of it in Beijing’s eyes.
3/11/2017 China (China Aid) – The Communist Party has refused to recognize the authority of the pope in the last few decades, and the Chinese Catholic Church has been appointing its own clergy. However, CNN published a report indicating that the decades of cold ties between China and the Vatican could be coming to an end.
In an interview with The Christian Post earlier this week, China Aid president Bob Fu said the Vatican’s support for China in ordaining its own bishops could further embolden the communist government to make the lives of “house church” believers much worse. The warning comes amid news of improving ties between the Chinese government and the Vatican.
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