The majority of the ten million Catholics in the People’s Republic of China belong to the so-called ‘official church’, which is under the authority of the Chinese government and does not officially recognise the primacy of the pope. The remaining group is united in an ‘underground’ church whose bishops are not designated or approved by the Chinese authorities. In September 2018, the Vatican and the People’s Republic of China reached an agreement whereby the pope was granted the right to vote on the nomination of bishops in the official church. In return, the Holy See recognised at least some bishops previously designated by the communist authorities. This article examines the rationale behind the conclusion of this historic agreement, which is part of the ongoing normalisation of Vatican-Chinese relations, and its direct consequences, both on the bilateral level and for the third parties – in particular, Taiwan. The article argues that, as it stands, the agreement is primarily beneficial for the People’s Republic of China in terms of its practical consequences, as well as its political and propagandist potential.
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
