Vatican and Beijing hold fresh talks

A Vatican delegation held a second meeting with Chinese Communist Party officials at the end of April in Beijing, it has now emerged ­– suggesting that the Holy See is still enthusiastically seeking normalisation of relations with China, writes Ellen Teague.

Church sources report that the Vatican has proposed the setting up of a working group so that both sides can tackle contentious issues in depth, such as the appointment of local bishops.

Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the chief negotiator on China-Vatican negotiations until 2009, said earlier this month that, “right now we are in a positive phase; there are signs that the two parties have the will to pursue a dialogue and to work together to find solutions” regarding the growing presence of the Catholic Church in China.

News of the closed-door negotiation was surprising because it happened just days after Chinese President Xi Jinping laid out his plans for religious management during the National Conference on Religious Work held on 22 and 23 April.  Mr Xi said at the event that religious groups must submit to the ruling Communist Party’s control, and he urged religions, “to merge religious doctrines with Chinese culture, abide by Chinese laws, and devote themselves to China’s reform, opening-up drive and socialist modernisation”.  

The Vatican has had no official ties with Beijing since 1951, but Pope Francis has made the pursuit of an agreement with China a priority for his papacy, leading the Vatican to resume dialogue with China in June 2014.

Subsequent talks took place last October and earlier this year in January. “I find it remarkable that so soon after the last round of negotiations in January, this second round took place,” a church source told Asia’s UCA News.