Taiwan hopes Vatican-Beijing deal extension promotes religious freedom

Taipei, Oct. 23 (CNA) Taiwan is hoping the latest extension of a provisional agreement on bishop appointments between the Holy See and China will help promote religious freedom on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Holy See and China extended the Provisional Agreement on appointment of bishops, first signed in 2018, for another four years, after two previous extensions in 2020 and 2022.

"In light of the consensus reached for an effective application of the Provisional Agreement regarding the Appointment of Bishops, after appropriate consultation and assessment, the Holy See and the People's Republic of China have agreed to extend further its validity for four years from the present date," the Vatican said in a statement.

"The Vatican Party remains dedicated to furthering the respectful and constructive dialogue with the Chinese Party, in view of the further development of bilateral relations for the benefit of the Catholic Church in China and the Chinese people as a whole."

The agreement allows the pope to have the final say on the appointment of bishops in China, a key provision for the Vatican in its desire to mitigate Beijing's influence on Catholic churches.

Asked to comment on the latest extension, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a statement Wednesday that Taiwan, which respects religious freedom, hopes the accord "will help reverse the increasing deterioration of religious freedom in China."

Despite the Vatican's wish to improve religious freedom in China with the 2018 agreement, however, "the Chinese government has stepped up measures to persecute local Catholic communities as religious freedom and human rights continue to deteriorate in China," MOFA said.

"Many bishops and other clergy have been forced to join the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, with many Chinese Catholics facing formidable challenges to both their consciences and freedom of belief," it said.

A Vatican-based expert familiar with Holy See-China relations told CNA, however, that the ongoing agreement has resulted in China revising its hardcore stance in insisting that foreign forces cannot interfere with Chinese clergies.

"In the past, the CCP has always insisted that clergy should not be controlled and interfered by foreign forces," the expert said under condition of anonymity.

"But now there is concrete evidence showing that Beijing has softened the stance and that the pope has the final say on the appointment of Chinese bishops," the expert said.

The Chinese Communist Party's churches and bishops are now moving toward communion with the universal church, breaking the CCP's past iron law of religious autonomy, the unnamed expert said.

The expert was referring to the period prior to the first agreement in 2018, when only clandestine churches would pledge loyalty to the pope. Under the deal, state churches could recognize the pontiff as the supreme leader of the church.

The deal was seen as a breakthrough at the time, with some people speculating that it could lead to the Vatican formally recognizing Beijing diplomatically and threaten Taiwan's official ties with the Holy See.

The Holy See is one of 12 sovereign entities that maintain full diplomatic ties with Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China (ROC).

It is also the only European state to do so, although its relations with Beijing have warmed under the leadership of Pope Francis.

MOFA said Wednesday it will closely monitor related developments and continue to work with the Holy See and the Catholic Church to enhance humanitarian cooperation and jointly safeguard the core value of religious freedom.