Pope restructures Chinese dioceses to suit Communist Party
Recent moves by Pope Leo regarding dioceses in China have shone considerable light on the American Pope's likely relationship with Beijing.
(PerMariam) — Recent papal appointments in China have revealed the style of Pope Leo XIV’s relationship with the Communist authorities, with priority appearing to be given to clerics loyal to the Chinese state.
On September 10 and 12, announcements came from the Holy See Press Office about rearranging of certain dioceses in China. Or to be more specific, regarding the suppression and erection of dioceses.
The first statement read:
Pope Leo XIV decided to suppress, in mainland China, the dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi, which were erected on April 11, 1946, by Pope Pius XII, and at the same time to erect the new diocese of Zhangjiakou, suffragan to Beijing, with its episcopal see in the cathedral church of Zhangjiakou.
This decision was apparently made on July 8 and was described as Leo’s “desire to promote the pastoral care of the Lord's flock and to attend more effectively to its spiritual welfare.”
On that same day, September 10, Father Joseph Wang Zhengui was consecrated as bishop of Zhangjiakou, after being approved under the “framework” of the 2018 Sino-Vatican deal. Wang’s consecration was presided over by Bishop Joseph Li Shan, the ordinary of Beijing who also leads the schismatic Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA).
Subsequently on September 12, the Vatican stated:
We are pleased to learn that today, on the occasion of His Excellency Joseph Ma Yan’en taking office as Auxiliary Bishop of Zhangjiakou, his episcopal ministry is also recognized for civil purposes. Similarly, the episcopal dignity of His Excellency Bishop Agostino Cui Tai, Bishop Emeritus of Xuanhua, is also recognized civilly. These events, the fruit of dialogue between the Holy See and the Chinese authorities, constitute a significant step in the journey of communion of the new diocese.
These moves are certainly not without controversy.
The two suppressed dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi had, as noted by the Vatican, been erected by Pope Pius XII and were bastions of the Catholic Church in China, but were not officially recognized by the Chinese authorities. They were led by prelates who remained loyal to Rome and not to the dictates of the Communist Party.
The 75-year-old Bishop Cui Tai had led the Diocese of Xuanhua since 2018, and has been repeatedly persecuted and imprisoned by the Chinese as he was not recognized by the authorities, and hence part of what is considered the Underground Church. AsiaNews documents that Cui Tai has in fact been under house arrest on and off since 2007, leading his diocese in absentia from behind bars.
The civil recognition given to him a few days ago by the Chinese, which the Vatican welcomed, was reportedly nothing more than a retirement ceremony, given that Cui Tai is of the mandatory retirement age. After having imprisoned him for close to twenty years, it seems the Chinese are sufficiently happy that Cui Tai no longer poses a threat, given the recent arrangements.
Meanwhile 69-year-old Bishop Joseph Ma Yan’en had been the bishop of Xiwanzi since 2013, and now that the diocese is suppressed he will take second place in the newly erected Diocese of Zhangjiakou.
But what is the new diocese and who is its leader? The answers to these questions present perhaps the clearest sign of who has really had the upper hand in this arrangement – namely China.
The Diocese of Zhangjiakou has long been a subject of contention. The Chinese authorities established it in 1980 but the Vatican never recognized it. The state-sponsored diocese envelopes the territory covered by the Vatican’s dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi.
Recognition by, or perhaps more accurately the submission of, the Vatican to the Chinese diocesan structure is something of a coup for Beijing.
So also is the choice of new bishop, Bishop Joseph Wang Zhengui. The Vatican’s details of his biography are brief and sparing, simply outlining his various placements as a parish priest.
What was left unsaid by the Vatican was Wang’s loyalty to the Communist Party. Wang has long been the leader of the Diocese of Zhangjiakou, as appointed by the Chinese Communist Party. In that capacity he has orchestrated highly controversial illegal priestly ordinations – illegal that is for the Vatican, but smiled upon by Beijing. Locals have speculated that Wang did so in order to impress the Chinese authorities.
Local outlets have long reported that Wang has been described as ambitious to be made a bishop by the Chinese Communist Party, and also that while leading the Diocese of Zhangjiakou in 2019 he enforced the Party’s ban on children attending Masses.
Now Wang has both Beijing and Rome’s seal of approval.
These two moves represent perhaps the clearest sign of Leo XIV’s hopes for a working relationship with China and his employment of the 2018 Sino-Vatican deal. Early comments made by the new Pope in May suggested that Leo was going to lend more support to the Underground Church than Pope Francis did.
In June, an Underground bishop was recognized by Beijing as an auxiliary of the Diocese of Fuzhou, a key move for a bishop formerly unapproved by the Chinese. But with that too there was sign of the remaining mistrust between the Holy See and Beijing. The Holy See bulletins simply referred to “Fuzhou” and did not describe it as a diocese or an archdiocese. Such a peculiar lack of specificity in a formal statement is due to differences in recognition between Rome and Beijing: the Holy See made Fuzhou an archdiocese in 1946, but Beijing does not recognize archdioceses or metropolitan sees, which would appear to have informed the deliberate avoidance of either word by the Vatican today.
China has long practiced the concept of Sinicization, which experts warn involves having “all religious communities be led by the Party, controlled by the Party, and support the Party” – thus at its core, Sinicization ultimately leads to a rejection of Catholicism and an acceptance of Communist ideologies.
Back in May, China-expert and president of the Population Research Institute Steven Mosher advised caution about trying to assess Leo’s China moves. “It’s too early to tell,” he told Per Mariam.
Responding to Leo’s diocesan restructuring, Mosher wrote on X “The Siwanzi Diocese was the location of one of the bloodiest massacres of faithful Catholics by the Red Army in history. I am sure that the Chinese Communist Party is glad to see it wiped out of existence.”
The history of the Communist attacks on the Christian population of Xiwanzi includes the bloody attack of 1946, which saw the Christian village relentlessly persecuted and then attacked by the Red Army. The regions’ anti-Catholic history was even highlighted in the build up to the 2022 Winter Olympics hosted by China.
Leo’s actions are pivotal and will likely set the tone going forward. AsiaNews – which has long reported on the Christian persecution in the East – wrote to critique it:
The suppression of the dioceses of Xuanhua and Xiwanzi inevitably sends a message to the underground communities of the province, who had their own pastoral leadership…
The signs are not encouraging. Political control over religions, including Catholic communities, continues to increase in Xi Jinping's China, as evidenced recently by the Churches joining in the chorus of nationalist rhetoric that marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia, which became a celebration of Communist China’s might.