Mike Pompeo doubles down on criticism of Vatican over China deal

The Trump administration has doubled down on its criticism of a contentious accord that the Vatican intends to renew with China regarding the Communist regime’s treatment of Chinese Catholics.

Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, flew to Rome on Wednesday as part of a European tour and within hours of landing renewed his claim that the Holy See was too soft on Beijing.

He called on the Vatican not to renew the agreement with China, which was signed two years ago and which gives Beijing a say in the appointment of bishops in the official Chinese Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church in China is split in two – one part is backed by the Communist regime while the other is an unofficial, underground church which is loyal to the Pope and has suffered decades of intimidation and persecution.

“Nowhere is religious freedom under assault more than in China,” Mr Pompeo said during a symposium on religious freedom in Rome, shortly after he arrived from a visit to Greece.

“I call on every faith leader to find the courage to confront religious persecution,” he said.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.