IAI COMMENTARIES 18 | 43 - JULY 2018 ISSN 2532-6570 © 2018 IAI 1 Asian Politics and aformer intern at theIstituto Affari Internazionali (IAI). Fabio Angiolillo isaMAstudent at theUniversity of Bologna specializing in Northeast return, thePope will appoint auxiliary by theChinesegovernment but, in appointment of bishops indicated Holy Seewill allow andrecognizethe the agreement asacompromise. The close totheVatican hasdescribed Details remain sketchy, but a source relations with aspiritual guide. time modernChinaestablishesformal agreement would represent thefirst takeover of .If successful, an severed following theCommunist troublesome relations since ties were A deal would end70years of in Chineseterritory. for the appointment of Catholic bishops multiple complexities of anagreement place as the parties seek to navigate the talks, with anumber of meetingstaking China (PRC) have intensified bilateral Holy Seeandthe People’s Republic of and Beijing isslowly takingform. The rapprochement betweentheVatican Far from theheadlines, ahesitant by Fabio Angiolillo Decades of Severed Relations Covert Negotiations Aim toEnd China-Vatican Talks: an optimal solution, adeal will provide While neither sidecanconsider this https://on.cfr.org/2rQa1XH Backgrounders CFR 2 1 state sanctioned Catholicism, governed into two broad strandsinChina:official, Over theyears, Catholicism hasmutated the country. estimated 10 to 12 million Catholics in See hasbeenofficially cut off from the envoy Antonio Riberi in1951,theHoly China. Since theexpulsion of Vatican Protestants compared toCatholics in a much greater concentration of between 100and130million, with religion inChina.Estimates range Christianity isthefirstnon-Asian outcome for both. thus bedescribed asthesecond best concrete benefits to each and can bishops without outside interference.

Author’s interview, , 18 April 2018. April 18 Rome, interview, Author’s Eleanor Albert, “Christianity in China”, in in China”, in “Christianity Albert, Eleanor 2 , last updated 9 March 2018, 2018, 9March updated , last . 1

China-Vatican Talks: Covert Negotiations Aim to End Decades of Severed Relations

by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic the Vatican would signal a further Association (CPCA), and underground consolidation of China’s diplomatic Catholics, made up of fragmented relations. But there is more than simple communities without a formal recognition at play. Outstanding organizational structure or leadership. tensions between China and Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) may The CPCA is responsible for appointing also play a role in Beijing’s calculus. bishops throughout Mainland China,

© 2018 IAI but these are not recognized by the The , which maintains a Vatican. China’s “underground” chargé d’affaires in Taipei, is the last Catholics instead refer to an diplomatic stronghold in Europe for unsanctioned parallel community in Taiwan and, more in general, the only which individuals gather in small one remaining in the Western world. private houses or congregations, Xi Jinping has been pressuring Taiwan without any formal institutional with economic dependency, yet China structure. Here, bishops are mostly self- is also seeking to further isolate Taipei appointed and are thus not recognized diplomatically, pressuring countries ISSN 2532-6570 by Chinese authorities or the Vatican.3 to sever relations and withdraw recognition. Since 2002, over ten states Both sides have expressed interest in have recognized the PRC as the only reaching an agreement. Today, 40 out legitimate Chinese State.6 of 94 “official” dioceses in Mainland China remain without bishops.4 The Yet, interpreting the agreement in the Vatican is concerned about its lack of context of Beijing-Taipei tensions would influence in China but, at the same be a mistake. While it would no doubt time, China’s leader Xi Jinping also has result in an acceleration of the gradual an interest in managing relations with diplomatic regression between the millions Chinese believers.5 Vatican and Taiwan, a potential Sino- Vatican agreement should be framed There are at least two reasons for Beijing in terms of Vatican-Chinese relations to sign an agreement with the Vatican. and broader efforts to resume formal Both are directly related to China’s relations after decades of rupture. growing international clout and efforts to consolidate the legitimacy of Xi Jinping. Indeed, a second driver for the An official document signed with agreement is that Catholics in China number about 10 to 12 million. Xi’s 3 Social networks have been used as “virtual political ambitions will no doubt pass church” by the underground Church. Viola through the necessity of consolidating Zhou, “China’s Underground Churches Head for support among these communities Cover As Crackdown Closes In”, in South China Morning Post, 10 September 2017, https://www. as well as through efforts to create a scmp.com/node/2110433. unified in the country, 4 Data on Chinese bishops are available in the which would facilitate governmental GCatholic website: Catholic Church in People’s Republic of China (China), http://www.gcatholic. org/dioceses/country/CN.htm. 6 Among others South Sudan, Panama and 5 Author’s interview, Rome, 18 April 2018. Dominican Republic. IAI COMMENTARIES 18 | 43 - JULY 2018 18 | 43 - JULY IAI COMMENTARIES

2 China-Vatican Talks: Covert Negotiations Aim to End Decades of Severed Relations

control over its activities. Indeed, since Moreover, according to canonical March 2018, authority over the CPCA law, the establishment of the CPCA was shifted from the State Council in 1957 was a schism. The CPCA was management to the China Communist never recognized by the Holy See, yet Party United Front Work Department, its establishment signalled the formal signalling effort to further tighten state exclusion of Vatican influence in China. control over its activities.7 As a result, the Holy Sea is seeking to remedy this exclusion, supporting the

© 2018 IAI While the distinction between reunification of the two Churches as a “underground” and “official” Catholics means to consolidate the Pope’s formal in China has become rather blurry, legitimacy over Chinese Catholics.11 a re-unification between the two communities is also important for the There are also opponents to the Vatican.8 First of all, the Pope rejects agreement however.12 Some parts of the Church’s clandestine role in China, the underground Church in China affirming that religion needs to be free perceive it as negative, fearing a loss of from harassment.9 In this, the Vatican influence in the community if a unified ISSN 2532-6570 is seeking to preserve its influence Church is established. and soft power, promoting freedom of religion in China. Some top-ranking Chinese officials are also strongly adverse to an agreement, Furthermore, the Vatican has been describing it as unconstitutional loosing ground among Chinese according to Article 36 of the Chinese believers due to the conflict with Constitution, which affirms: “the state Chinese authorities. Thus, the steady protects normal religious activities. No growth in Protestantism in China, one may make use of religion to engage no doubt benefitting from its less in activities that disrupt public order, structured organization, may also […] or interfere with the educational represent a motivation for the Vatican system of the state.”13 to seek to mend ties with Beijing. Nowadays, only about 10 per cent of Within the Vatican, Hong Kong’s the Christian community in China are former bishop Joseph Zen is leading a Catholics.10 fringe group of opponents to the deal, contending that such an agreement would mean giving up the nomination 7 Teddy Ng and Mimi Lau, “Fears About Chinese Influence Grow As More Power Given of bishops to a non-democratic to Shadowy Agency”, in South China Morning Post, 21 March 2018, https://www.scmp.com/ node/2138279. 11 Author’s interview, Rome, 18 April 2018. 8 Gianni Valente, “Parolin, ‘Why We Are in 12 Harriet Sherwood, “Vatican Agreement with Dialogue With China’”, in Vatican Insider, 31 China Could ‘Deal Blow’ to Catholic Church”, January 2018, http://www.lastampa.it/2018/01/31/ in The Guardian, 13 February 2018, https:// vaticaninsider/parolin-why-we-are-in-dialogue- gu.com/p/84eqq. with-china-C8mlJsD0PDNsmsx7db6ZIJ/pagina. 13 See Chapter II on “The Fundamental Rights html. and Duties of Citizens” of the PRC Constitution: 9 Author’s interview, Rome, 18 April 2018. http://www.npc.gov.cn/englishnpc/Constitution/ 10 Eleanor Albert, “Christianity in China”, cit. node_2825.htm. IAI COMMENTARIES 18 | 43 - JULY 2018 18 | 43 - JULY IAI COMMENTARIES

3 China-Vatican Talks: Covert Negotiations Aim to End Decades of Severed Relations

state. Indeed, the appointment of more conservative strands of the CCP auxiliary bishops, which are a kind of in order to sign a final agreement. deputy bishops, would represent an infringement on the Pope’s traditional The fact that the talks are progressing authority in these domains.14 and some information is leaking to the media is reflective of the existence It is evident how the debate is not a of perceived benefits for both sides. merely religious issue but rather a Ultimately, the fact that the talks are

© 2018 IAI political matter. happening at all is further reflective of the current changes in the The development of covert talks and the international system and the continued lack of details regarding the specificities rise of China. It is against this backdrop of the negotiations are reflective of the that the Vatican is seeking to end 70 two political systems at play. Although years of severed relations, establishing these are antithetic in many ways, there the groundwork for a new formal are also similarities and these are no relationship with what is set to be a key doubt facilitating the process. Leaders international player in the decades to ISSN 2532-6570 in both China and the Vatican are not come. bound by democratic elections or strict term limits. Both systems are known 31 July 2018 for their murky decision-making processes, while transparency is not common trait either.

The issues at stake are entangled in a web of uncertainty that extend well beyond the confines of Sino-Vatican relations. The road ahead is likely to be long, as each actor will need to balance short-term interests with the medium and longer term effects such an agreement may have on their internal legitimacy and international credibility.

Since 2013, Pope Francis is giving positive momentum to the talks out of an effort to enhance the Vatican’s influence and access to Mainland China. Meanwhile, Xi Jinping needs to ensure the stability of the Communist Party and seek to win over the still significant scepticism coming from the

14 Author’s interview with Italian Vaticanist Andrea Tornielli, 19 April 2018. IAI COMMENTARIES 18 | 43 - JULY 2018 18 | 43 - JULY IAI COMMENTARIES

4 China-Vatican Talks: Covert Negotiations Aim to End Decades of Severed Relations

Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) The Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) is a private, independent non-profit think tank, founded in 1965 on the initiative of Altiero Spinelli. IAI seeks to promote awareness of international politics and to contribute to the advancement of European integration and multilateral cooperation. Its focus embraces topics of strategic relevance such as European integration, security and defence, international economics and global governance, energy, climate and Italian foreign policy; as well as the dynamics of cooperation and conflict in key geographical regions such as the Mediterranean and Middle East, Asia, Eurasia, Africa and © 2018 IAI the Americas. IAI publishes an English-language quarterly (The International Spectator), an online webzine (Affarinternazionali), two book series (Quaderni IAI and IAI Research Studies) and some papers’ series related to IAI research projects (Documenti IAI, IAI Papers, etc.).

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