 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
 By Dan Martin Shanghai (AFP) Sept 23, 2018
The landmark deal between China and the Vatican is a win for Beijing, giving official recognition to bishops appointed by the government despite a crackdown on religion, and potentially softening the ground for full diplomatic relations after 67 years of estrangement, analysts said. The two sides signed a provisional agreement on Saturday on who gets to name senior churchmen, an issue that has bedevilled ties for decades, and China quickly said it hoped for an improvement in relations. That is bound to mean consequences for self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province, and which has watched helplessly in recent years as its giant neighbour has picked off its few remaining diplomatic partners. With its outsized international influence, the Vatican is the most important of Taiwan's 17 remaining friends, and its only European partner. The agreement on bishops makes no mention of diplomatic relations, but some see the writing on the wall. "It's difficult not to see this as the first step towards a switch," said Jonathan Sullivan, a China expert at the University of Nottingham. "It's not on the cards yet, but Beijing has made no secret of its desire to poach Taiwan's most important remaining ally." Ying Fuk-tsang, a professor of divinity at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Beijing is bound to use any new leverage to seek the Holy See's recognition. The current Taiwan government has taken a toughened line against Beijing, which knows that turning the Vatican would be "a major blow to Taiwan's diplomacy," Ying said. - 'Sinicisation' of religion - Beijing and the Vatican severed ties in 1951, two years after the Communist Party seized power. The party tolerates no alternative power centres and a decades-long impasse has played out over who presides over the now roughly 12 million-strong Catholic faithful -- communist-approved prelates or those who preach to "underground" pro-Rome churches. Since taking office in 2013, Pope Francis has sought to improve ties with China. As part of the deal, the pope recognised seven Beijing-appointed bishops. No other details were disclosed. The apparent Vatican concession is striking because it comes as China is waging a broad religious crackdown. President Xi Jinping has moved aggressively to tighten the Communist Party's grip on all aspects of society, including worship. Top leaders have recently called for the "Sinicisation" of religion, code for greater party control. In China's remote western Xinjiang region, UN estimates say one million members of Muslim minorities are held in internment camps where rights groups say they face communist indoctrination. Christian worshippers and clergy in central China told AFP recently that "illegal" churches were being raided or bulldozed, and religious materials confiscated. Churches have been required to display the national flag while removing religious imagery from public-facing spaces, and paperwork seen by AFP shows clergy are being pressured to divulge personal information about parishioners. Underground clergy told AFP they remain fearful because the agreement does not mention safeguards for them or their followers, with one priest saying worshippers "doubt the sincerity" of the government. An official priest in close contact with the underground community said that while the deal solves the problem of the seven bishops, it says nothing about how future bishops will be appointed. "And it cannot solve the real problem and situation of the church." - 'Not a zero-sum game' - China's religious crackdown has drawn growing overseas criticism, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday deploring "awful abuses" in Xinjiang. He added that Christians were suffering too as authorities are "closing churches, burning Bibles" or forcing them "to renounce their faith." But Francesco Sisci, an Italian Sinologist at China's Renmin University, said a rapprochement could provide the Vatican with now-scarce leverage in China because it will now get at least some recognition from Beijing. "It's not a football match, it's not a zero-sum game. Both sides hopefully gained a lot in this," Sisci said. "It is true that dozens of churches are being torn down, at least partially. But thousands more are standing or being built." "It will be not be easy, but if the Vatican doesn't try to help now, when should it?"
Chinese Catholics 'pray for the best' but wary after Vatican deal As parishioners in the capital's Catholic cathedral gathered to celebrate mass on Saturday evening, still others in the pews were unaware of the historic deal aimed at resolving a decades-old dispute over who gets to name bishops. After the provisional agreement was announced by both sides, the Vatican said Pope Francis recognised seven clergy appointed by the Chinese Communist government -- a move that could lead to a rapprochement for the first time since diplomatic ties were severed in 1951. Yet across the country, there was a mixed reaction to what some call a compromise by the Holy See and a betrayal of Vatican loyalists. Catholics recognise the pope as the head of the church, with the appointment of bishops requiring a nod from the Holy See -- while China's officially atheist government does not tolerate any other power centre and insists on appointing its own bishops. This split the country's roughly 12 million Catholics between the state-sanctioned church -- which includes the government in its Prayer of The Faithful during mass -- and the underground church which sees the Vatican as the ultimate authority. - 'Stay apart' - At the official South Cathedral in the heart of Beijing, worshippers seemed unaware of the landmark agreement. Mass celebrated the baptism of 80 new believers, with bishop Joseph Li -- sanctioned by both the Vatican and Beijing -- delivering a homily touching on the theme of loyalty and faith. After being told the news by an AFP reporter, many were nonchalant. "Whatever this means for the church is up to God. As a follower of the church, we pray for the best," said a churchgoer who gave her name only as Magdalene. Others hoped that government and religion could have their separate spaces. "Our religion should worship God and support the government's sovereignty, but our church should stay apart from the government," Paul Yu told AFP after mass. There were similar scenes in Shanghai where worshippers said they had not heard of the deal. - 'Spies' - But those with links to the unofficial church say it appears the Vatican is making concessions to China in hope of better relations, which could be a futile effort because Beijing is unlikely to go along with it in the long term. "Maybe this agreement solves the problem of the seven bishops," said a priest with ties to the underground church. "But in terms of choosing bishops in the future, it does not resolve the fundamental problem... and it cannot help improve the situation of the church." While the clergy is appointed by the Communist Party, the Vatican has previously accepted several bishops appointed by the government. A priest from an underground church in the central Hebei province said the congregation has always been loyal to the Vatican and will continue to be. "There are some church members and priests that accept this turn in events, and some that cannot completely come to terms (with the situation), because they remain suspicious of the Communist Party," said the priest, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They doubt the government's sincerity," he said, noting that some members of his church work for the authorities as "spies".
Australia eyes PNG military base to curb China's Pacific influence Sydney (AFP) Sept 20, 2018 Australia is planning to build new naval base in Papua New Guinea, reports said Wednesday, an apparent move to curb China's influence in the Pacific. Canberra was aiming to finalise an agreement on the joint facility - to be built on the Pacific nation's Manus island - ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Port Moresby in November, The Australian reported. The newspaper said Australian defence officials visited PNG's Lombrum Naval Base on Manus to review a potential redevelo ... read more
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
