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[Catholic Caucus] Faithful Chinese bishop died under house arrest, denied a Catholic burial TIANJIN, China, June 13, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) ― A heroic bishop of the underground Catholic Church in China has died under house arrest and will not be permitted a Catholic burial. Asia News reported that Bishop Stefano Li Side, the legitimate ordinary of Tianjin, died June 8 after a long illness. He was 92 and had been living under house arrest since 1992. Because Li never joined the schismatic so-called Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the state-backed religious authorities will not permit his body to be buried in a...

Pope Francis: Chinese bishops know they ‘must be good patriots’ to Communist regime May 29, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – In his recent marathon interview with a Mexican journalist, Pope Francis said “relations with China are good, very good” and that two Chinese bishops – one Vatican-appointed from the “underground” Church and one appointed by the Communist government – with whom he recently met “know that they must be good patriots.” For decades, the Catholic Church in China largely existed underground. It faces persecution from Communist authorities. Pope Francis’ controversial deal with China allows the government to nominate clerics from its state-run “church,”...

Catholics are protecting Shengdiliang Shrine in Xiwanzi Diocese in China's Hebei province. (ucanews.com photo)Chinese Catholics prevented local authorities from dismantling holy statues at a shrine in Hebei province, but they are worried about another round of persecution by communist officials after a church in the northern province had its cross removed. When the faithful heard that authorities were planning to demolish statues at Shengdiliang Shrine in Xiwanzi Diocese on May 13, they started to sleep overnight at the site to protect them. The shrine has statues of Jesus the Good Shepherd, Lazarist Bishop Joseph-Martial Mouly (the first bishop of Xiwanzi)...

[Catholic Caucus] Vatican Betrayal Update: Cardinal Parolin Dances for the Butchers of Beijing An article in La Croix International reveals the depths of the Vatican’s betrayal of the Catholics of the Underground Church in China. The article reports that Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin “has told Chinese state-run media that Vatican-Beijing talks are focused on achieving concrete results for China’s Catholics while avoiding differences between the two ‘systems.’”Avoiding, that is, the reality that a communist dictatorship governs China and that its very existence is inimical to the Church’s mission.  Instead of addressing the oppression of the Church by...

Beijing and Rome can work together, Parolin tells Chinese media Vatican Secretary of State says Pope Francis sees China 'not only as a great country but also as a great culture' In an interview with a Chinese state-run publication, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin welcomed the opportunity for China and the Holy See to work together to “build a more secure and prosperous world.”“The prospect opens up that two ancient, great and sophisticated international entities – like China and the Apostolic See – may become ever more aware of a common responsibility for the grave problems of...

"Inculturation is an essential condition for a sound proclamation of the Gospel which, in order to bear fruit, requires, on the one hand, safeguarding its authentic purity and integrity and, on the other, presenting it according to the particular experience of each people and culture," he told the Global Times. ". . . For the future, it will certainly be important to deepen this theme, especially the relationship between 'inculturation' and 'sinicization,' keeping in mind how the Chinese leadership has been able to reiterate their willingness not to undermine the nature and the doctrine of each religion. "These two terms, 'inculturation' and...

US Report Blasts Vatican-China Deal h2 class="grey-subtitle" style="margin-bottom:12px;">Confirms prophetic warnings of Cdl. Joseph Zen The Francis Vatican should hang its head in shame. This week, the independent U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) issued its 20th annual report on International Religious Freedom. The USCIRF is a federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. USCIRF commissioners are appointed by the president and the leadership of both political parties in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The report divides countries into tiers, with tier 1 countries being designated as countries of particular concern for violations of...

By now it is clear to everyone — even Vatican diplomats, presumably — that things are going from bad to worse for Catholics in China. The secret Sino-Vatican agreement that was supposed to provide some protection for the Catholic Church in China has instead been turned on its head. It is perversely being used by the Communist authorities to crush the long-suffering but faithful Underground Catholic Church while the Vatican stands silently by. The Communist authorities are telling Underground bishops, priests, and laity that the new agreement not only requires them to register with the government, but to join the...

Steve Bannon rips Pope Francis for Vatican-China deal, siding with ‘globalists’ WASHINGTON, D.C., April 12, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — Steve Bannon’s emergence from political obscurity continued last Thursday during an appearance on EWTN’s The World Over with Raymond Arroyo, where he criticized Pope Francis not only for siding with “globalists” on immigration but also for striking a deal with communist China on the nomination of Catholic bishops. Since unceremoniously exiting the White House in August 2017, a move that angered many of President Trump’s America First supporters, the former presidential adviser has largely remained out of the public spotlight, preferring to spend most of...

[Catholic Caucus] New Icon for the Catholic Church in China: The Bulldozer of Qianyang The photo depicts a bulldozer in the process of demolishing the parish building of the “underground” Catholic Church in Qianyang, China, which housed a church on the second floor and a free medical clinic for the poor on the first. The video of the event is here.This, writes Sandro Magister, is how “[t]he Chinese regime is… applying its agreement with the Holy See…” That is, its secret agreement with the communist dictators in Beijing, whose pseudo-church, the Patriotic Catholic Association (PCA), the wizards of Vatican...

The former ordinary bishop, now reduced to auxiliary bishop at the request of Pope Francis, will not be able to celebrate the Chrism Mass. The Religious Affairs Office will not recognize him as a bishop unless he joins the Patriotic Association. All unofficial priests are required to register and support the "independent Church". If they register they receive an award of 200 thousand yuan (26 thousand euros). The ambiguity of Msgr. Zhan Silu, who from formerly excommunicated, is now the ordinary bishop of the diocese.Rome (AsiaNews) - Bishop Vincenzo Guo Xijin risks not being able to celebrate the Chrism Mass...

[Catholic Caucus] Bitter Easter in China. In the Game With Rome, a Blowout for Beijing The Chinese regime is also applying its agreement with the Holy See this way. With the bulldozer that under police escort - see photo - razes to the ground on April 4 the building of a parish in Qianyang, which had on its top floor a room for the Mass and on the ground floor a free clinic for the poor, run by nuns.The fault of the pastor and of the two thousand faithful of this “clandestine” parish is the same as that of the...

Vatican pushes aside valid Chinese bishop for Communist government-approved replacement SHAANXI, China, April 5, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — Catholic Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin was asked by Vatican officials to stand aside for a Communist party-approved bishop while persecution of Catholics and other Christians continues despite a groundbreaking agreement between the Holy See and China. Bishop Guo, the former bishop of underground Catholic Diocese in Mindong in Fujian province of northeastern China, told ucanews.com, “The government officials said in clarity that they do not recognize me as a bishop.” Official recognition, he said, will only come upon joining the Bishops’ Conference of...

China’s President Xi Jinping Unlikely to Meet Pope Francis During Rome Trip The leader of communist China arrives in Rome on Thursday, his first visit to Italy since the historic agreement last September between Beijing and the Holy See, but a papal audience is thought unlikely. The Pope and senior Vatican officials strongly want such a meeting with President Xi Jinping to go ahead, coming just six months after a controversial Sino-Vatican two-year provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops. The agreement also included the lifting of excommunications on seven illegitimate Chinese bishops. But Vatican sources say a papal audience is unlikely, primarily...

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has reiterated the Communist Party’s commitment to make religion more culturally Chinese, underscoring what many see are problems with the secret agreement on the appointment of bishops, signed in September between the Vatican and Beijing. “We must fully implement the (Communist) Party’s fundamental policy on religious affairs and uphold the Sinicization of religion in China,” Li, the ruling Communist Party’s No. 2 leader, said while delivering his annual “work report” March 5. His message was delivered at China’s National People’s Congress in Beijing, part of the annual “two sessions” that started March 3 and were expected...

Catholic Church Suspends Pro-CCP Priest A priest in Hebei who urged Chinese Communist Party to arrest his (underground) bishop was punished by his diocese with the approval of the Holy See. The confusion about how to interpret the Vatican-China deal of 2018 reigns sovereign. Bitter Winter has repeatedly reported that the CCP interprets it in the sense that priests and bishops in the Underground Catholic Church should simply join the Patriotic Catholic Church, which is controlled by the government. As we reported, the Vatican has denounced this interpretation as unacceptable.A former underground priest in the diocese of Xuanhua (Hebei), Francis...

Cardinals spar in responses to Vatican-China deal Beijing, China, Mar 8, 2019 / 03:40 pm (CNA).- After Cardinal Fernando Filoni and a Chinese-appointed bishop both spoke out this week separately in support of the Vatican-China deal for fostering unity, Cardinal Joseph Zen responded strongly.During a weeklong trip to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau, Cardinal Filoni told Macau News Agency March 4 that the provisional agreement between Beijing and the Holy See signed Sept. 22, 2018 “will be a very good thing for the Church in the future, and also for China.”“One wonders: from which planet did our leaders in Rome...

Chinese Cardinal: Vatican Has Kept Secret the Text of Deal With Atheist Regime on Naming of Bishops CNSNews.com) - Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, said in a video interview with CNSNews.com that the Vatican has kept secret the text of the agreement it made in September with the government of the People’s Republic of China on the appointment of Catholic bishops. According to the U.S. State Department, the government of China is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, whose members are required to be atheists. “The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is an authoritarian state in which...

Msgr. Peter Jin Lugang of Nanyang and the dilemma of the Patriotic Association. A clarification Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - Msgr. Peter Jin Lugang, who on January 30th was recognized by the government as coadjutor bishop of Nanyang (Henan), has done everything possible not to belong to the Patriotic Association (PA), whose statutes " are irreconcilable" with Catholic doctrine, even asking for forgiveness from the Pope. This is what emerges from the words of Fr. Sergio Ticozzi, PIME missionary and expert sinologist, who knows Msgr. Jin personally and the community of Nanyang. The testimony of this bishop is an example for...

Cdl. Zen in new book: Vatican’s China ‘strategy was wrong, all about compromise and surrender’ In "For Love of My People I Will Not Remain Silent" released by Ignatius Press on Jan. 25, Cardinal Zen describes in detail the history of the Vatican's shifting China policy over the course of the last decades. After he praises Cardinal Jozef Tomko, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP) from 1985 until 2001, for his clarity in dealing with China, Cardinal Zen also makes it clear that, since Tomko's end of tenure in 2001, the Vatican has been...