Fr. Raymond J. de Souza: Has the Holy See Surrendered to the Chinese Communist Party?

The Need for Clarity In a Time of Moral and Doctrinal Ambiguity

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Pope Francis waves to pilgrims from China at the general audience in St. Peter's Square on June 28, 2017. (photo: Vatican Media

COMMENTARY: The decision to appoint Bishop Joseph Shen Bin to the Diocese of Shanghai is a massive humiliation for the Holy See and the utter failure of the centerpiece of the Holy Father’s China policy.

By Father Raymond J. de Souza, EWTN News, July 18, 2023

Father Raymond J. de Souza is the founding editor of Convivium magazine.

Does the Holy See’s stand-down in the Shanghai standoff signal surrender in the Sino-Vatican relationship? An unusual interview arranged by the secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, suggests as much.

On Saturday, Pope Francis appointed Bishop Joseph Shen Bin to the Diocese of Shanghai, the most important diocese in mainland China. Bishop Shen Bin now occupies the cathedra where Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin-Me was once enthroned. Cardinal Kung (1901-2000), appointed bishop of Shanghai in 1950, was imprisoned by the communist Chinese in 1955 and incarcerated for 30 years before being released into exile. Pope St. John Paul II named Kung a cardinal in pectore (secretly) in his first consistory for new cardinals in 1979, only revealing he did so in 1991. …

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