A Catholic bishop and his rural Chinese parish worry about a deal between Beijing and the Vatican

Washington Post ^ | March 11, 2018 | Emily Rauhala

[ebb tide]

LUOTIANBA, China — The bishop can’t really talk about religion right now. 

His unofficial church is caught in a fight over the future of the Roman Catholic faith here, a struggle for control between the Vatican and the Communist Party that will determine the fate of the estimated 10 million Catholics in China and shape the legacy of Pope Francis. 

Bishop Zhuang Jianjian, 88, under watch and already in trouble, knows it is not safe to speak out. But he can still deliver a sermon. 

Just before 7 a.m. on a recent Sunday, he walked to the front of a small, white church in the green hills of Guangdong province and told the story of how God tested Abraham and Abraham kept faith.

[Marchmain]

Washington Post, excellent, article is simplistic but gets out the main points. Nothing will stop this China deal unless the pope is shamed by the free world to modify. At 11th hour there’s suddenly broader support for resisting the communist party. Zen is being bashed and ridiculed by usual henchmen, but heroically goes on. With God’s help, a miracle may occur, now that it’s gathering mainstream concern.

[littleharbour]

There has clearly been a hostile takeover of the Vatican by Marxist theologians led by the Jesuits. They are betraying the Church’s most faithful members to Communist thugs, and doing everything they can to shatter the Church’s moral foundation.