A possible landmark deal that would see China and the Vatican come to an agreement on the appointment of bishops would be "betraying Jesus Christ", China's most senior Catholic cleric has said.
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, the retired bishop of Hong Kong, said according to the Guardian: "Maybe the Pope is a little naive, he doesn't have the background to know the Communists in China. The Pope used to know the persecuted Communists [in Latin America], but he may not know the Communist persecutors who have killed hundreds of thousands."
Relations have historically been strained between the Catholic Church and China's ruling Communist party (CCP) over irreconcilable claims to authority. The Vatican does not accept the validity of episcopal consecrations by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association – the government's state-approved Catholic body – while the CCP has strongly opposed Rome's right to ordain Chinese bishops.
An underground Catholic Church refuses to compromise with the state and is loyal only to the Pope. The feud has been ongoing for more than six decades, alongside growing concerns from the CCP about the growth of Christianity in China.
The government has signalled a crackdown on churches, and closely monitors members of even state-controlled institutions.
The new possible deal would see the Vatican accept eight bishops ordained by the CCP without the Church's permission.
Cardinal Zen warned that only "fake freedom" would be achieved under the new deal. "The official bishops are not really preaching the gospel," he said. "They are preaching obedience to Communist authority."
"You cannot go into negotiations with the mentality 'we want to sign an agreement at any cost', then you are surrendering yourself, you are betraying yourself, you are betraying Jesus Christ," he added.
"If you cannot get a good deal, an acceptable deal, then the Vatican should walk away and maybe try again later. Could the church negotiate with Hitler? Could it negotiate with Stalin? No."
Cardinal Zen has previously accused state-appointed bishops of being "slaves" and "puppets" of the CCP, though he added that they were "very faithful to the Church".
But "with fake bishops you are destroying the Church," he said earlier this month.
However, though he said Pope Francis – who isn't known to have signed any deal yet – "has no real knowledge of communism" and may make the wrong decision in this case, he will respect his authority.
