Chinese Foreign Minister Arrives in Rome, Sparking Debate over Vatican-Beijing Deal by THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D. for Breitbart
ROME — Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi arrived in Rome Tuesday, rekindling debate over the renewal of the highly contested Sino-Vatican deal over the naming of Catholic bishops in China.
Wang is scheduled to meet with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio. In March, 2019, Italy became the first large European economy to join China’s international infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
One unnamed Vatican source said that during his stay Wang will also “surely” meet with Holy See negotiators, perhaps in the Chinese embassy in Italy, Religión Digital reported Monday.
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“We must not forget that Wang Yi already met Paul Gallagher, his Vatican counterpart, in February,” the source reportedly added, in reference to a meeting between the two men in Munich at the beginning of the year.
The secret accord between the Holy See and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), whose details have never been made public, was signed on September 22, 2018 and is due to be renegotiated and renewed next month, when it will expire. The controversial deal involved the Vatican yielding an unspecified amount of authority for the appointment of Catholic bishops in the country.
Last June, Vatican Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, the head of the delegation in relations with the Chinese government, said on Italian television that the agreement is likely to be renewed this September.
“Dialogue with China is not an easy path but we have embarked on a path made of respect, attention, and mutual understanding to resolve the knots that remain and the situations that leave us more than thoughtful, I would say worried,” said the archbishop.
“I think we will probably have to reconfirm it for another 1-2 years, but still the Holy See has not made a decision on this matter which will then be communicated to the Chinese authorities,” he said. “However, the climate is positive, and there is an atmosphere of respect, clarity, co-responsibility, and foresight.”
