On Sunday, May 25th, Pope Leo XIV delivered his first public speech at the Vatican, calling for prayers for the Catholic faithful in China and expressing hope for their unity with Rome. This marked his first discussion on the issue of the Chinese Church since becoming Pope, a topic considered one of the most challenging foreign policy issues during his tenure.
The first-ever American Pope blessed the congregation at noon on Sunday, mentioning that Saturday, May 24th, was a special day designated for the Catholic Church to pray for the Church in China. The day was established by Pope Benedict XVI to promote unity among the approximately 12 million Catholics in China.
Under the prolonged suppression by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Catholic believers in China are divided into the government-controlled church and the underground church loyal to the Vatican. The former does not recognize the authority of the Roman Pontiff, while the latter persists in their faith despite persecution by the CCP.
Pope Leo XIV emphasized that during this special day, “people around the world pray for Chinese Catholics in churches and pilgrimage sites in China, expressing care and love for them, and their unity with the universal Church.”
He stressed that even in the face of challenges, believers should promote peace with the spirit of the Gospel.
According to reports from U.S. and Western organizations focusing on religious and human rights issues in China, in recent years, the CCP regime has intensified control over various religious beliefs while further indoctrinating worshippers with atheism and worship of CCP leaders.
China’s (CCP) control over Christianity and Catholicism within its borders has been significantly strengthened. China Aid revealed in 2020 that even CCP-approved organizations like the “China Christian Council” and the “Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China” are unable to sell certain unofficial religious books. The word “Christ” on book covers or in content introductions has been altered to “JD” or completely erased. “Jesus” is replaced with the letters “YS.”
China Aid also reported that since March 30, 2018, the CCP has removed all Bibles from online platforms such as Taobao, JD.com, Dangdang, and Amazon. Christian books continue to be banned, and stores are shut down.
Simultaneously, the CCP’s crackdown on official churches has become more severe. Most incidents of forcibly removing crosses in recent years have targeted government-sanctioned churches.
Pastor Xu Yonghai of the Beijing Family Church previously told Voice of America, “Since 2014, many churches and crosses have been forcibly dismantled, with very few family churches left with buildings. Most of those demolished are the official Three-Self churches.”
The issue of the appointment of Catholic bishops in China has long been a focal point of contention between the Vatican and the CCP, straining their relations over time.
In 2018, Pope Francis approved a controversial agreement on bishop appointments, allowing participation by CCP-controlled institutions while retaining the Pope’s veto power over the final decision.
This undisclosed agreement faced criticism within the Catholic community, viewed as a compromise by the Vatican towards Beijing and a betrayal of underground church believers in China. It was even dubbed “a pact with the devil.”
The Vatican defended the agreement as the best possible solution and stated its intention to renew it regularly.
However, the CCP regime has unilaterally appointed bishops multiple times, violating the agreement. Even before the secret conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV, CCP-sanctioned churches preliminarily selected two bishops, sparking concern.
Recently, Cardinal John Tong Hon of Hong Kong disclosed in a report by Vatican Faith Communication Agency that Leo XIV told him, “I have visited China and understood the culture and reality of China.”
As a member of the Society of Jesus, Cardinal Tong Hon revealed that he implored Leo XIV not to forget the Church in China and the Chinese people, to which the Pope nodded, indicating that he would not forget.