Rome is miscalculating if the Pope believes he can resist Beijing’s taking control over most of or the entire Church, given the terms being discussed.
It’s not easy to get a clear handle on the ideals of Pope Francis, based on his roots in Argentina. If not sympathy or affinity for socialism, communism, fascism, perhaps at the very least an understanding or tolerance. Does this explain the Pontiff’s willingness to engage Chairman Xi and Communist China? The Church has resisted for quite some time. Latin America is a hundred year history of failed regime after regime, often with the people’s interests and rights subjugated and their future mortgaged for power. Communist China is no different. There may therefore be some affinity .
An avowed atheist regime, one wonders how the Pontiff can accept the Communist Party’s notion of Catholicism in China (an extension of the Communist Party, according to Party dogma, which elevates the Party above all, including and especially above God (and in this case the Trinity)).
The Vatican has tiptoed around Beijing for decades to avoid losing the Church in China, but the Pontiff seems ready to accept the Communist Party having a hand in running the Church inside China. The trouble with this is that the Pope obviously has not read up on the Party’s idea of cooperation with any religion, Tibetan Buddhism being the prime example. In that case, the Party actually kidnapped the number two figure in the religion (the 6-year old Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, in 1995), and replaced him with a fake Chinese Communist Party Panchen Lama (much like the treatment the Vatican’s bishops in China have received, replaced in China by Communist Party bishops). The intrigue here is that the Panchen Lama’s job is to select the next Dalai Lama when the current Dalai Lama dies. In other words, having replaced the Panchen Lama selected by the Dalai Lama, China intends to take over the religion entirely by having the Party’s fake Panchen Lama appoint a Communist Party Dalai Lama as the next Dalai Lama, thereby absorbing Tibetan culture and religion into the Communist Party dogma, a takeover that has taken 60 years.
What could we see about the Catholic Church in 70 years if China were to take it over in China? Since the One Belt One Road plan is basically China’s Trojan Horse to infect every participating country throughout Europe, Africa and Latin America with Communist Party dogma and loyalty, it is likely the Party will attempt to influence all Catholics within its “sphere of influence” to abide by its Catholic dogma with Chinese Characteristics instead of the Vatican’s dogma.
Thus could end Rome’s reign over its own church and the billions of Catholics, replaced by Beijing’s. The Pontiff is seriously miscalculating if he believes he can outlast the Chinese Communist Party. It is a dangerous game he is playing with a regime with no morality. Very dangerous.
Strait Talk by Lee Longhwa 