Bishop's resignation undermines Sino-Vatican pact  

A Chinese bishop has resigned after the Vatican announced plans to renew its pact with China in a move which observers say is a setback to China's hopes of implementing the deal smoothly. The deal was signed secretly in September 2018, and no details have yet been released. Its key provision is believed to apply to the appointment of bishops, in which the Chinese Communist Party would name a slate of three bishops, from which the Pope would select one.

Auxiliary Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin of Mindong announced his resignation on 4 October and said he will no longer participate in public activities. An online letter being circulated in the name of Bishop Guo said he was resigning in view of the “signs of a new era, a new chapter for the Church, and particularly in the Diocese of Mindong”.

Two years ago, soon after the Sino-Vatican agreement believed to include a protocol for bishops' appointments was signed, Bishop Guo accepted demotion to an auxiliary bishop. It accommodated Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu, an excommunicated bishop whom Pope Francis accepted back in the diocese, reportedly as part of the agreement. Since then, a local observer, who did not want to be named, told UCA news that Bishop Guo has been “at a loss”. There are reports that water and electricity to his residence have been cut off. The source said: “Bishop Guo's resignation is not only a serious setback for China's claimed smooth implementation of the agreement but also shows the failure of the Vatican's strategy for dealing with the Church in China.”

Meanwhile, retired Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen published a blog on 9 October accusing Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, of “lying” when he stated that emeritus Pope Benedict XVI approved the Vatican-China agreement. A fierce critic of the pact, he promised: “I will not remain silent”. He lamented that Pope Francis “has obviously put China completely in the hands of his Secretary of State”. Cardinal Zen particularly criticised the treatment of Bishop Guo who “obeyed the Vatican by giving up his position and becoming an auxiliary”. But “everyone has seen how they made his life impossible, so all he could do is to resign”.