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[Catholic Caucus] Shanghai’s Catholic Bishop Shen Bin Announces His Program: Study Xi Jinping, not the PopeAfter having been appointed by the CCP and grudgingly and belatedly approved by the Vatican, the new Prelate revealed his true colors.The saga of Bishop Shen Bin’s appointment to the all-important Catholic Diocese of Shanghai officially ended on July 15, 2023.On April 4, 2023, Bishop Shen Bin, until then Bishop of Haimen, was installed by the CCP as the new Bishop of Shanghai. The Vatican declared officially that “the Holy See learned from the media of the installation” only the morning it happened.The text of...

Remember the names of these Chinese bishopsWhat would John Paul II do?In the annals of historical boorishness, it would be hard to find something more egregious than the Holy See’s timing as it renewed its 2018 agreement with the People’s Republic of China, which allows the Chinese Communist party a significant role in the appointment of Catholic bishops. That renewal took place on October 22: the liturgical memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, whose defense of religious freedom helped bring down European communism, and whose burning desire to visit China was repulsed by a Communist regime that obviously feared...

EXCLUSIVE: British lord condemns renewal of Vatican deal with Communist ChinaLord Alton told LifeSiteNews that 'the Vatican’s silence on human rights and religious freedom in China is profoundly disappointing and dangerously counterproductive.'VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — As the Holy See renews it secretive and “sellout” deal with Communist China regarding the appointment of bishops, China experts and leading human rights campaigners have warned that it will only “embolden” Beijing to “further intensify its repression” of Catholics in China.“The Vatican continues to engage in the pretense that it has an ‘agreement’ with the Chinese Communist Party,” said Steven Mosher, president of the...

Vatican Apologizes for Catholic Missionaries in China, Calls on Communist “Bishops” to Rule the Chinese Church He apologized to the Indigenous Canadians, he apologized to the Mayans, now he’s apologizing to the Chinese Communists. In another big overture to China on May 21, Pope Francis and his Vatican assured the Chinese government that the Catholic Church poses no threat to Beijing’s Communist sovereignty and apologized for Catholic missionaries of the past for their zealous work to convert the Chinese to the Catholic Faith, even referring to their pastoral work as “errors.” The Vatican hosted “Bishop” Joseph Shen Bin, head of...

Vatican should not honor Shanghai's fake bishopThere are those who courageously put their faith and values first, and do not sell their souls to a brutal, atheist regime Earlier this week, the Vatican hosted a prominent mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s propaganda in the heart of Rome.Beijing-appointed Bishop Joseph Shen Bin of Shanghai, who was unilaterally installed a year ago by Chinese authorities without the pope’s approval at the time, in flagrant breach of the Vatican-China agreement on the appointment of bishops, was given a platform at a Vatican conference alongside Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.Bishop Shen...

Vatican makes fresh overture to China, reaffirms that Catholic Church is no threat to sovereigntyThe Vatican has made another big overture to ChinaROME -- The Vatican made another big overture to China on Tuesday, reaffirming the Catholic Church poses no threat to Beijing's sovereignty and admitting that Western missionaries had made “errors” in past centuries in their zeal to convert the Chinese faithful.The Vatican hosted the head of China's bishops conference for an unprecedented, high-level commemoration of a landmark 1924 meeting in Shanghai that affirmed the need for foreign missionaries in China to give way to local church leaders.The presence...

The Vatican’s Gamble With Beijing Is Costing China’s CatholicsNo pope has ever set foot in China, but 10 years ago, Francis came the closest. On a flight to South Korea in August 2014, he became the first Vicar of Christ to enter Chinese airspace. Apparently that wasn’t enough. “Do I want to go to China?” Francis mused a few days later to those of us journalists accompanying him on his flight back to Rome. “Of course: Tomorrow!”Francis has been more conciliatory to the People’s Republic than any of his predecessors. His approach has brought some stability to the Church in...

Hong Kong’s Catholics face ‘collapse of religious freedom’Religious freedom is being lost in Hong Kong due to pressure from the Chinese Communist Party, according to a new report from the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation.Released 30 January 2024, the Hostile Takeover: The CCP and Hong Kong’s Religious Communities report highlights “the systematic breaking of promises” made under the so-called “One Country, Two Systems” arrangement that was outlined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration when the UK handed control of Hong Kong to the CCP in 1997.The report also highlights how the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL) is being used...

[Catholic Caucus] Zen threatens boycott of HK cardinal’s Mass if Beijing bishop attendsThe Hong Kong diocese is facing a diplomatic controversy ahead of a Mass celebrating the diocese’s newest cardinal, over the invitation of a bishop close to the Chinese Communist Party and Beijing government. Cardinal Stephen Chow, SJ, of Hong Kong will celebrate on Saturday a Mass of thanksgiving for his elevation to the College of Cardinals. But sources close to the diocese have told The Pillar that preparations for the event are being overshadowed by concerns about whether Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing will be allowed to...

Open Letter to Pope Francis from Chinese Faithful: "You are killing us!"Dear Pope Francis,We, the awakening Catholics in the underground and official churches in China, write you this open letter to lament your betraying our Church and destroying our nation.Since 1949 communist takeover, countless martyrs chose to sacrifice everything to remain loyal to the Holy See – till today. Pope Pius XII, Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have shown appreciation, encouragement and comfort to us. They condemned the evil of communism, confirmed illegality of the “Patriotic Association”, and admonished resistance to immoral cooperation with CCP. Pope...

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...

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...

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...

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's Catholic leaders vow to accelerate sinicization 10th National Congress of Catholicism in China elects new leaders who vow to toe Communist Party lineTwo state-sponsored Church bodies in China have elected new leaders during a five-yearly national conference who promised to invigorate the Catholic faithful pastorally in line with the socialist principles of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).The three-day 10th National Congress of Catholicism in China ended in Wuhan, the capital of Hebei province in central China, on Aug. 20. Senior officials from the CCP also attended the gathering and delivered speeches.The meeting attended by some 345 Catholic bishops, clergy,...

[Catholic Caucus] In Baoding Bishop An threatens to withhold the sacraments from those who do not registerIn the Diocese of Hebei, the official bishop published a pastoral letter claiming that over the past few months he concelebrated the liturgy with 30 priests who hitherto belonged to the underground Church. Using the pastoral guidelines issued by the Vatican in 2019, he is truing to get Catholics to join the Patriotic Association. A local source warns that the clergy has come under unprecedented pressure. The local Church had resisted so far, but now there is widespread confusion.Milan (AsiaNews) – On 15 July,...

Images of the day: Che GuePapa, the real Pope FrancisFrom our Bureau of Theological Perspicuity and Artistic GeniusItalian style. You’ve got to love it.While looking for images of Pope Francis, Tres Fotutos stumbled onto an article on the Viareggio carnival of 2017.Stunning. What a masterpiece, this carnival float. The angels Marx, Lenin, Fidel, and Mao are bobble-heads. The beret on Papa Che’s head has a red star on it. “Che GuePapa.” Artists Alessandro and Paolo Vanni deserve some major award. They’re not just great artists, but prophets, too, proven correct yesterday (for the billionth time) when Papa Che’s comments on...

At the Vatican the Game’s Afoot to Be the Most Pro-China. In the Lead is Sant’EgidioIn the photo above, Cardinal Joseph Zen Zekiun holds a sign calling for the release of the bishop of Xuanhua, Augustine Cui Tai, 72, who since 2007 has repeatedly ended up in prison for shorter or longer periods and is again under arrest in an unknown location.Tai is not alone among the bishops of China who have ended up behind bars or under house arrest. Xinxiang bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu was imprisoned on May 21 2021 and since then has been detained who knows where....