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Changes to Vatican conference suggest effort to downplay Chinese influenceROME – As the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences prepares to stage a workshop this week on global affairs, changes to the online publicity surrounding the event, including graphics, wording and the lineup of speakers, suggests the Vatican is attempting to downplay what was originally an overtly Chinese focus.Titled “Dialogue Between Civilizations on Global Commons,” the event is being hosted by the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences and is organized jointly by American economist Jeffrey Sachs, a professor at Colombia University, a UN advisor, and a member of the academy; Australian...

The Sino-Vatican Pact fails again: an appeal from the Catholic Church in ChinaThis has been written by a Chinese Catholic, to whom we have for obvious reasons granted anonymity.The translation of Bishop Shen Bin from the Diocese of Haimen to the nearby diocese of Shanghai on 4th April 2023 marks the failure of the secret Sino-Vatican agreement of 2018. Diocesan priests in Shanghai are mostly reluctant to accept Bishop Shen Bin as the bishop of Shanghai, and it seems difficult for Bishop Shen to execute his governance such as transferring the priests among parishes. The appointment was made, without the...

Hong Kong bishop praises Vatican-Beijing deal allowing Communist-run church to pick bishops in ChinaBishop Stephen Chow, S.J., says he hopes to 'build bridges' with the leaders of Communist-run state church in China.HONG KONG (LifeSiteNews) — In a new interview with La Civiltà Cattolica, Hong Kong Bishop Stephen Chow, S.J., who was recently appointed by Pope Francis, downplayed fears about the scandalous Vatican-Beijing deal that grants a say in the appointment of Catholic bishops to the atheistic Chinese Communist Party (CCP).The Hong Kong bishop also encouraged the CCP agenda of Sinicization — by which the Communists seek to bring all religions...

Vatican mum on Chinese bishop’s transfer without approvalROME – While the Vatican last year issued a rare public criticism of China for appointing a bishop without their approval, it has remained quiet on a similar incident that took place in the past few days, when a bishop was transferred to another diocese without Rome’s permission.On Tuesday, Bishop Shen Bin, leader of the nearby Diocese of Haimen (Jiangsu), was installed as the new bishop of Shanghai without prior the Vatican’s prior knowledge or approval.The Diocese of Shanghai has been de facto vacant for the past 10 years, since its Rome-approved bishop,...

The Vindication of Cardinal Zen“If you don’t do stupid things, you won’t end up in tragedy.” - Chinese ProverbBEFORE THE INK was dry on the CCP/Bergoglio secret pact, tragedy unfolded. It was inevitable and totally predictable. The power hungry Bergoglio desperately wanted a deal with the global powerhouse CCP. Disaster ensued. Bergoglio’s recklessness united the world in condemnation of his covert and nefarious pact with the devil. See here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Bergoglio was repeatedly warned by Hong Kong Cardinal Zen that the CCP could not be trusted to uphold their end of the secret...

[Catholic Caucus] Brazil, Pray the Rosary“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” ~George SantayanaBrazilians are convulsing over the fraudulent election of Luis Inacio Lula da Silva “Lula”, the radical Communist convicted felon, who narrowly defeated the moderate, President Jair Bolsonaro. Cries of election fraud dominate the massive street protests.This isn’t the first time when Brazil faced the scourge of a tyrannical Communist takeover. In 1966, Brazilians faced a similar Marxist government that posed a radical political and social transformation of South America’s largest country. With nowhere to turn, the largely Catholic country turned to the Blessed...

Pope Francis: 'If I look at the Gospel purely sociologically, I'm a communist' In an interview with the Jesuit magazine 'America', Francis rejected polarizations as 'not Catholic'.Rome (kath.net/jg)"If I look at the gospel in a purely sociological way, then yes, then I am a communist, and Jesus is one too." With these words, Pope Francis answered a question about the background to his criticism of capitalism in an interview with the US Jesuit magazine America .The Pope gave an extensive interview to the magazine on November 22. Outgoing editor-in-chief Matt Malone SJ confronted him with criticism from the US. The...

"To canonise Camara is to canonise communism”Dom Helder Camara could soon be declared venerable. Protagonist of liberation theology, sympathetic towards the USSR and China, revolutionary armed struggle was planned in his diocese. A 'media and ideological’, rather than a religious saint, Julio Loredo, president of the Italian TFP, tells The Compass.There has been a decisive step forward for the cause of beatification of Msgr Helder Camara (1909-1999), the Brazilian 'red bishop' who could soon be declared venerable. The announcement was made by Archbishop Fernando Saburido, his successor in the archdiocese of Olinda and Recife, governed by Camara between 1964 and...

The Vatican accused Beijing of breaching its agreement by ordaining a bishop for a Chinese diocese not approved by the Vatican. Beijing’s action surprised few because many people, including the Catholics in China and Hong Kong, had warned Pope Francis not to forge this ill-advised agreement with Beijing in the first place. Yet Francis refused to listen. Will he now have the grace to apologize to Catholics in China?The Chinese Communist Party severed China’s diplomatic relations with the Vatican in 1949, and Catholics in China, like all other religious believers, suffered more than three decades of persecution. The CCP shut...

The Pope’s Shameless Coddling of the ChicomsHe dignifies this stance as the “way of diplomacy.”Early in his papacy, Pope Francis tweeted out, “Inequality is the root of social evil.” That statement remains a defining moment of his pontificate. Contained in that one remark is a Marxist mindset alien to the Church’s teachings which has animated many of the pope’s worst policies, including his appallingly sympathetic treatment of China’s brutal regime. One of his Argentine cronies at the Vatican, Bishop Marcel Sorondo, has said with a straight face, “[A]t this moment, those who best realize the social doctrine of the Church...

Leaders From China’s State-Run Catholic Church Brief Hong Kong Clergy on President Xi’s ‘Sinicization’ PlanCritics see this conference, held in mid-November, as a precursor to a further crackdown on religious freedom.ROME — Chinese bishops, priests and theologians from the country’s state-run Church have formally briefed Hong Kong clergy on implementing President XI Jinping’s socialistic vision of religion — a move critics see as a possible precursor to a further crackdown on religious freedom. The conference took place a week before the forced installation Nov. 24 of an underground bishop as an auxiliary of a diocese not recognized by the...

President George W. Bush once offered a reflection on gullibility and betrayal. He told a crowd “Fool me once, shame on … shame on you. Fool me … . You can’t get fooled again!'” The president managed to mash together an old saying that ends “Fool me twice, shame on me” with half-remembered lyrics from a Who song (“Won’t Get Fooled Again”).A Bushian level of befuddlement must now prevail in the Vatican, as Pope Francis watches his hopeful alliance with China collapse into comprehensive failure. Francis’s right-hand man, Bishop Marcelo Sorondo, touted the Vatican’s secret agreement with China as a...

Cardinal Zen’s conviction shows that no one is safe in Hong KongCardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, the 90-year-old retired bishop of Hong Kong, has been convicted of failing to register a humanitarian relief fund and fined 4,000 Hong Kong dollars (about £400) after being punished for supporting pro-democracy demonstrators during the mass protests in Hong Kong. The fine may seem small, but this is Beijing’s way of saying that even a frail and saintly cleric who walks with the aid of a stick is not safe to endorse democracy. No one is.All Beijing has done is decided not to proceed with...

[Catholic Caucus] HELL is in SESSION: Stand with Cardinal ZenIn thinking about what the 90-year-old Chinese Cardinal Joseph Zen is now enduring, I'm reminded of another such hero from back in my day, the Hungarian Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty. There was such an outcry and effort by all Catholics to plead and work for his release from a Communist prison. As school kids we prayed as a class and contributed our dimes for organizations working for his freedom. What do you hear now from the Vatican regarding Cardinal Zen? The following snip from Wikipedia shares what Pius XII said in behalf...

[Catholic Caucus] The Vatican’s 3rd Deal with the Devil“Man’s schemes are inferior to those made by heaven.” ~Chinese ProverbNo one rains on Chairman’s Xi Jinping’s reign. On October 22, 2022, at the CCP 20th Party Congress, Chinese President Xi Jinping was elected to another term, adding another five years to his previously served 10 year presidency. Xi will remain in the politically powerful position as General Secretary of the CCP. His stated goal of Emperor for Life is now firmly established, unimpeded by a certain human rights trial in Hong Kong.Surely, the looming show trial of the revered and respected...

Looking for Good Catholic Bishops? Try a Chinese PrisonIf you follow the mainstream media, the picture you’ll likely have of U.S. bishops is a bleak one. You’ll read how Cardinal Donald Wuerl covered up for a sadistic child pornographer. And how ex-Cardinal Ted McCarrick molested a boy for years, while picking most current U.S. bishops.You’ll learn how Cardinal Blaise Cupich shrugged that Planned Parenthood selling baby parts was no worse than Republicans limiting Medicaid. Or how Bishop John Stowe damned Nick Sandmann for “racism” based on a biased media clip, then refused to apologize.You’ll read the grim story of how...

WSJ: Pope Francis Has Undermined His Moral Authority by Pandering to ChinaROME — The editors of the Wall Street Journal have published a searing indictment of Pope Francis, insisting he has undermined the Church’s moral authority by pandering to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).The case in point is the Vatican’s renewal Saturday of its secret agreement with the CCP on the appointment of bishops in the country, which since its inception in 2018 has resulted in the ordination of just 6 bishops, despite some 36 vacant episcopal sees.The chief fruit of the accord has instead been “to mute Vatican criticism...

VATICAN - Cardinal Tagle: the reasons why the Holy See renews the provisional Agreement with the government of Beijing on the appointment of Chinese Catholic BishopsRome (Agenzia Fides) - «The reason for everything is to safeguard the valid apostolic succession and the sacramental nature of the Catholic Church in China», in the desire «to reassure, comfort and enliven» Chinese Catholics. Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle uses calm tones and pondered words, to reiterate what moves the Holy See to extend for another two years, together with the government of Beijing, the validity of the provisional agreement regarding the appointment of...

Vatican-China deal to be renewed, with no changes to termsROME – Amid increased controversy as a trial against a prominent Chinese cardinal continues to move forward in Hong Kong, the Vatican and China will for the second time renew their provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops.Speaking to Crux, a high-ranking Vatican official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the renewal publicly, said “the agreement with China is scheduled to be renewed on (the) 22nd of October 2022, with no changes to the terms.”The official stressed that this was not an official...

China Analysts Say Vatican’s Agreement With the Chinese Communist Party Ignores Negative RealitiesPope Francis and his secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, support the deal’s renewal despite the absence of tangible benefits for the local faithful.VATICAN CITY — As the Holy See prepares to renew its provisional agreement with the People’s Republic of China, recent remarks by Pope Francis and his secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, have been criticized by China-watchers and experts as naïve and out of touch with the reality facing Catholics in China and Hong Kong. The Pope told reporters on his way back from...