A century after the consecration of the first Chinese bishops, Pope Leo XIV praised the Church in China for remaining in communion with Rome.
On Nov. 5, the Vatican published a video message from the pontiff during a conference titled "The Universal Face of the Church in China," held at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. The meeting not only marked the 1926 consecration of China's first bishops but also reflected on the state of the Chinese church today, particularly regarding the ongoing Vatican-China deal.
Among those present were Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin; Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, dean of the College of Cardinals; Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, SJ, bishop of Hong Kong; and Ignazio Ding Zuyao, bishop of Haimen.
Communion with Peter, not colonialism
In his message, Leo noted Chinese Catholics' long history of fidelity to the papacy, quoting Pope Benedict XVI, who said that they have always had "legitimate pastors who have preserved intact apostolic succession."
"No shepherd in the Church can claim the mission as his own," Leo said. "Rather, he receives and exercises it in communion with the successor of Peter and with all the other successors of the apostles, the bishops."
The pope also noted the significance of six Chinese priests traveling from Shanghai to Rome in 1926 to receive consecration from Pope Pius XI.
"They crossed the world to bear witness to the communion that springs from the faith of the apostles," Leo said.
Quoting Pope Benedict XV, Leo affirmed that the Church's missionary work "cannot be confused with processes of colonization" but is "born of mission" to "bear witness to Christ in charity."
China-Holy See relations: A relationship marked by suspicion?
The Holy See and China have not maintained official diplomatic relations since 1951. Their provisional, undisclosed 2018 agreement on the selection of bishops has been challenged, with concerns that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is suppressing the Church.
Parolin, speaking on the sidelines of the conference, acknowledged that the deal still has its imperfections.
"All agreements are imperfect, including the one on China," Parolin said to reporters. "However, the path is open. So we move forward trying to perfect what is imperfect."
Chow noted the suspicion with which Catholics are sometimes viewed in China, out of fear that their religion could be used as a tool of foreign influence.
"We wonder how come the Church, our Church, in China for so many years is still seen as a foreign Church," he said. "I think that in China, a major concern is that, for example, religion will not be used as a vehicle for foreign intervention."
Others, however, expressed support for the so-called "Sinicization" of the Church, which is a state-led campaign to subordinate religious institutions to its Chinese Communist Party agenda.
"The 'Sinicization of Catholicism' is not a departure from Catholic tradition but an expression of authentic catholicity," Joseph Li Shan, bishop of Beijing, said.
Zuyao, made a bishop in October under the Vatican-China deal, added that Sinicization is "not a departure from communion with the universal faith" but rather "a natural expression of inner faith and a faithful implementation of Christ's command 'Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's.'"
