'Secret deal' between the Vatican and China 'backfires' on Chinese Catholics

The Chinese government has been “very successful in gaining a great deal of sway over the papacy” through a “secret deal” negotiated between Pope Francis and the Communist party, according to Chaplains Without Borders Founder Father James Grant.

While one in 14 Chinese are reported to be Christian, many are connected with home churches which are not recognised by the Communist government.

Father Grant said Pope Francis has refused to release the “details” of the agreement but it does involve the recognition of previous Bishops belonging to a church set up by the Chinese government which was previously not recognised as a legitimate part of the Catholicism.

The deal which encouraged “Catholics to come out of home churches” and into mainstream churches newly recognised by the Pope “made things much worse,” he told Sky News host Andrew Bolt.

Catholics are now subject to “more surveillance, more fear, more persecution of Catholics”.

“Historically, ethically and theologically, Catholicism is vitally opposed to a lot of things that communists stand for”.

“It has a push on free speech, it has a push on natural assembly, it has a push on a wide variety of opinions and none of these things communist regimes cope with particularly well”.

The secret deal has “blown up in the Vatican’s face” resulting in a “dual authority structure” overseeing the Catholic Church in China.

Видео 'Secret deal' between the Vatican and China 'backfires' on Chinese Catholics канала Sky News Australia