
THROWN UNDER THE BUS BY BERGOGLIO (FRANCIS)
“Beijing has
quietly indicated that it will soon abrogate its
“breakthrough” 2018 agreement with the Vatican,
which was meant to settle a decades-long dispute
over the appointment of bishops in China.
In November, shortly after exchanging diplomatic
notes verbales with Rome to renew the deal for
another two years, China thoroughly negated it
in a dry public posting by the state
bureaucracy. Order No. 15, on new administrative
rules for religious affairs, includes an article
on establishing a process for the selection of
Catholic bishops in China after May 1. The
document makes no provision for any papal role
in the process, not even a papal right to
approve or veto episcopal appointments in China,
which was supposed to be the single substantive
concession to the Vatican in the agreement. It’s
as if the deal never happened.” (New York Times,
February 19, 2021)
謝謝,弗朗西斯!(Thanks,
Francis!)
This
is a painful vignette of Francis’s penchant for
involvement in politics in which he has no papal mandate and no
competence — especially when it comes to non-Europeans — and
most especially when it comes to Asians and Africans. If
they possess the mere odor of “Traditional Catholics” — throw them under
the bus! — sacrifice them to the gods of politics and
geo-ecumenism. There is much to be had in so large and
influential a country as China — what are a few million faithful
Catholics who will have no part of the Communist “Chinese
Patriotic Catholic Association” which is as Catholic as
Communism is Capitalist?
In 2018
the deal brokered between Francis and Communist China’s
President Xi Jinping allowed the Communist authorities to
choose the “Catholic” bishops for China in an effort to
“Sinicise” the former Roman Catholic Church in China. The
agreement allowed the pope to have input in the nomination
process, and the power to veto any candidate for bishop.
BUT ...
that was three years ago — before the ever-treacherous bully Xi Jinping unilaterally decided (with no consultation) that the
Holy See would have zero input and no vetoing power
in the nomination of Chinese Communist Patriotic Catholic
bishops. That this decision to break the accord on the spur of
the moment by Xi Jinping merely underscored Francis’s notorious
reputation as a political dilettante by the international
community is, apparently, of no consequence to Francis (however
much it will imperil 10-12 million Chinese Catholics). That it
disgraces the Holy See is of no moment to him either. That
Cardinal Zen of Hong Kong decried the betrayal of Chinese
Catholics by the pope three years ago, calling it “a surrender”
and “a betraying of Jesus Christ” Himself, had no impact
whatever on Jorge Bergoglio — after all he was just a retired
Chinese Cardinal with a mere 60 years of experience in China...
small fish compared to the Politburo and Central Committee of
Communist China with whom Francis seems to have a budding
relationship, although to what end (as a Catholic pontiff) we
cannot begin to imagine.
The
crowd chose Barabbas over Christ. That was a precedent. Francis
chooses president Xi Ping over Cardinal Zen — and, it would
appear, Communism over Catholicism. It is a ghastly
concatenation of betrayal — that is ongoing in so many venues
where Holy Mother Church should have no part, and certainly no
abiding interest. Salus animarum — the Salvation of
Souls — THIS is the competence of the Church, and the
Church’s sole mission and mandate.
The
lesson to be learned?
Beware
of the “bishop of Rome” (as Jorge styles himself). His interests
as plenipotentiary pontiff may collide with your interests as a
simple Catholic — and while you’re at it, especially when
political, environmental, and religious issues are at stake,
keep an eye out for buses when he’s in the vicinity. If he threw
11 million faithful Chinese Catholics under the bus for whatever
reason he deemed expedient, you are a mere fly in the ointment.
Editor
Boston Catholic Journal
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