Vatican may renew secret deal with China on bishop appointments

I hope The Vatican finally realizes the secret deals they made with China is secret because it’s so shamefully defeatist, and that is why they want to reverse course now.

 The Vatican may next month renew a deal with Beijing that governs the appointment of bishops and the status of churches in China, according to a report published by the Voice of America, citing Holy See officials.The renewed deal would be largely kept secret, prompting growing unease in some sectors of the church, reported VOA. Critics said that if the Vatican renewed the deal, it would be kowtowing to the Chinese Communist government by turning a blind eye to human rights violations in the country. The Vatican signed a provisional deal with Beijing in 2018 on the appointment of bishops, but the detailed contents of the deal have largely been kept secret. As part of the deal, Pope Francis officially recognized eight bishops who were named by the Chinese government but previously excommunicated from the Vatican. Private intelligence group Recorded Future claimed last month that Beijing-directed cyberspies have been hacking Vatican computer networks in an apparent attempt to gather intelligence on the Holy See’s negotiating positions ahead of talks. But Vatican officials appeared unalarmed by the claim and did not see the need to rethink the deal. China has denied the hacking allegations, calling them “groundless.”