Cardinal Pietro Parolin just got hit with some shocking news that will make Catholics around the world furious.
The architect of the Vatican’s secret deal with Communist China is now a frontrunner to be the next Pope.
And the next Pope will inherit a controversial Vatican-China deal, as Catholic persecution has reportedly intensified under Xi Jinping’s regime.
The Vatican’s “provisional agreement” with the Chinese Communist Party, giving Beijing unprecedented control over Catholic bishop appointment,s has been one of Pope Francis’ most controversial decisions. The secret deal was first signed in 2018 and recently extended to 2028, even as persecution of faithful Catholics has reportedly worsened.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, the 93-year-old outspoken leader of Catholics in Hong Kong, has been one of the deal’s fiercest critics. He didn’t mince words when calling out Parolin’s role.
Zen wrote in March 2020 that “my personal impression is that Parolin manipulates the pope, at least in things regarding the Church in China.”
In October 2020, Zen wrote even more scathing criticism: “Parolin knows he himself is lying. He knows that I know he is a liar. He knows that I will tell everyone that he is a liar. He is not just shameless but also daring. What will he not dare to do now? I think he is not even afraid of his conscience. I am afraid he does not even have faith.”
Cardinal Zen even said of Parolin: “He should resign. I don’t think he has faith. He is just a good diplomat in a very secular, mundane meaning.”
The secret deal, whose text has never been made public at the insistence of both the CCP and the Vatican, has given the Chinese Communist Party unprecedented control over bishop appointments in China. Critics say it has betrayed Catholics who refuse to join the state-controlled “Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association” (CCPA), which requires loyalty to the Communist Party over the pope.
Experts maintain the situation has only worsened since the agreement was signed.
A Hudson Institute analysis concluded in October 2024 that “this report shows that religious repression of the Catholic Church in China has intensified since the 2018 China-Vatican agreement on the appointment of bishops.”
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s 2025 Annual Report found that “religious freedom conditions in China remained among the worst in the world” and that Chinese authorities were detaining and forcibly disappearing Catholic clergy who refused to join the state-controlled Catholic organization.
Even prominent Democrat Nancy Pelosi broke with Pope Francis on this issue. In an interview with the National Catholic Reporter in December 2024, she said: “We have, for decades, seen the suffering of Catholics in China. … Why should the Chinese government be having a say in the appointment of bishops?”
Beijing’s strategy is clear. The government demands complete loyalty to Xi Jinping and the Communist Party from all religious organizations. In January, the CCP-led Catholic group reported on a training course held for Catholics focused on maintaining “a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee and with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core in terms of ideology, politics, and actions.”
The Chinese government’s “sinicization” of Catholicism requires loyalty to the Communist Party over the Church. Zen wrote in October that the “‘Sinicization’ of Catholicism is not what we mean by inculturation. It is the religion of the Communist Party: the first divinity is the country, the party, the party leader.”
When Cardinal Zen was arrested by Hong Kong authorities in 2022, the Vatican’s response was notably muted. While the White House condemned the arrest and called for his immediate release, the Vatican merely expressed “concern” and said it was “following the evolution of the situation with extreme attention.”
The Vatican has similarly failed to advocate for Jimmy Lai, the prominent Catholic pro-democracy media mogul imprisoned in Hong Kong. Lai’s son, Sebastien, said in November 2024: “I do wish the Vatican called for his release as well and helped secure it.”
Meanwhile, Bishop Shen Bin, a key leader of the state-controlled CCPA, has become increasingly vocal about subordinating Catholic faith to Communist Party control. The Shanghai bishop was installed by the Chinese government without initial Vatican approval, though Francis later retroactively accepted the appointment.
Shen Bin said in October 2023 that “we must adhere to the principle of patriotism and love for the Church, adhere to the principle of independence and autonomy in running the Church, adhere to the principle of democracy in running the Church, and adhere to the direction of the Sinicization of the Catholic Church in China.”
As the cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel starting May 7th to select the next pope, Catholics in China will be watching closely. Whether they choose Parolin himself or another candidate, the next pope will face critical decisions about the Church’s relationship with an increasingly repressive Chinese regime.
For Cardinal Zen and millions of faithful Catholics in China, the stakes could not be higher.
