The true Catholics in China comprise in the so-called "underground church", whose clergy and people are loyal to Rome, in spite of being thrown under the bus by Benedict XVI and Francis at the instigation of a succession of leftist Secretaries of State, most recently Pietro Cardinal Parolin, aka "Peter of Rome" (q.v.).
The persecution of Catholics in China began in 1949, when the Communists took control of the country, excepting Taiwan. They immediately set up the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, a schismatic "church" which kept the outward appearance of Catholicism, but whose bishops and priests owe their allegiance to the Communist Party. Those who would not join have been harassed, persecuted, arrested, jailed and even martyred -- the Catholic martyrs of our days, up to and including today. See "China -- not a good place to be a democrat or a Catholic", WWW 15/6/14.
Until 2018 one could say that the underground church was holding its own, in spite of continual persecution, just like the early Church in the Roman Empire. But in that year, the Vatican Secretary of State's efforts "to proceed on the path of a respectful and constructive dialogue with government authorities, in order to overcome past misunderstandings" between the Holy See and Communist China resulted in the betrayal of the many 1000s of Chinese Catholics who had been imprisoned, tortured and even martyred for their Faith.
In September of 2018 the Vatican announced the signing of an agreement with the People's Republic of China giving the Communist government "a role in the appointment of new bishops." In practice that means the Commies tell Rome who the new bishops are, and Rome says, that's fine, we don't want to cause any trouble. See "Vatican bends the knee to Chinese commies in secret accord", WWW 23/9/18.
The secret deal was supposed to be reviewed in two years, to see if things were working out. Need I tell you the outcome? The deal was renewed indefinitely in spite of the fierce protests of Cardinal Zen, Archbishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, and others. See "Cardinal Zen decries/Vatican defends sell-out of Chinese Catholics", WWW 3/3/20.
Indeed, the universal Church celebrates today, the 24th of May as the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, that China "may become a force for good and a protector of the rights of the most vulnerable."So there we are. Rome has capitulated and the CPCA is now the "official" Catholic Church of China. But that doesn't mean we can't pray for the Catholic Church in China, meaning all those who hold onto the "Faith of our fathers, living still, in spite of dungeon, fire and sword."
The commemorative feast marks the Chinese celebration of Our Lady of Sheshan, the patroness of China. It is also, even more importantly, celebrated as the birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. So let us pray:
With faith in your intercession, we pray for the Church, particularly the Church in China, for our family and friends, for the poor and abandoned, and all the dying. Grant, O Mary, Help of Christians, the graces of which we stand in need. Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!
Note from Ed.: Many thanks to Agent 9 for reminding us of the significance of this date, and for his blessing.
Footnote and further reading: In a story that tells you all you need to know about the secret accord between Rome and the Chinese Communists, AsiaNews.it reports that Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu of Xinxiang and 10 priests of his diocese were arrested late last week, and are being held for “political sessions” with Communist Party officials. They are accused of "criminal activity": conducting religious activities without government approval, and refusing to enlist in the CPCA.
Bishop Zhang is recognized by the Holy See but not by the Communist government. Under the terms of the secret agreement between the Vatican and Beijing, the Holy See recognized several bishops who had been appointed by the government. But Beijing did not reciprocate by recognizing bishops of the underground Church.
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