Two dioceses in China are being forced to join the
Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA), a government-controlled body established to oversee the Church in China.
Several sources on the mainland have expressed concern that these are not isolated cases, but merely the beginning of a national movement that will see all dioceses eventually drawn into the CCPA's orbit and strictly controlled.
All parishes of Fuzhou Diocese in eastern China's Fujian Province have been "asked" to join the CCPA, with some of their priests allegedly banned from leaving China, the sources told ucanews.com.
One source highlighted how there was still considerable opposition to the idea of merging the government-recognized open Church with the so-called "
underground Church," despite the Vatican signing a provisional deal with Beijing last September on the appointment of bishops.
Pope Francis admitted in the wake of the compact that underground
Chinese Catholics could suffer as a result of it, and the mainland sources said there is widespread concern that the CCPA violates church doctrine.
When approaching Fuzhou Diocese, government officers reportedly cited how Mindong Diocese in the same province had already agreed to fall under its wing.
However, while the authorities claimed that "all" of the clerics in Mindong had pledged allegiance to the CCPA, this reporter's sources challenged that and said not everyone was on the same page.
"The news made some of the priests in Fuzhou very anxious as they believe the diocese has been coerced into joining up," he said.
Incidentally, one of the new government-sanctioned bishops to be installed in power in the wake of
September's provisional agreement with the Vatican now leads Mindong Diocese.
The Holy See asked Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin to step down so that Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu, formerly considered an illicit prelate in Rome, could replace him.
Pope Francis subsequently pardoned Bishop Zhan, with Bishop Guo relegated to the role of his auxiliary bishop.
The local government has granted Bishop Guo some vestigial rights, such as being allowed to wear his bishop vestment while co-celebrating Christmas Mass with Bishop Zhau, but it has still not recognized his Episcopal status because he has not joined the CCPA yet, the source noted.
The provisional agreement included a clause stating that Guo must still be recognized as a bishop by the Chinese government even if he decided not to join the CCPA, another source told ucanews.com.
In addition, according to a church document obtained by this reported, the China-Vatican negotiators are still working on whether underground priests should be compelled to accept the "guidance" of the CCPA or not.
The document, which was sent to Fuzhou Diocese, noted how the Vatican opposed the idea of any local Chinese government pressuring the churches and parishes within its jurisdiction to join the CCPA.