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Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 of an analysis of the Register of China’s violations of human dignity and human rights. Part 1 is available here.
On Monday, the United States, Canada, Britain and the European Union announced a coordinated series of sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for what is increasingly being described as genocide against the Uyghur people, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority in western China. It has faced a period of several years. mass incarceration campaign, propaganda, forced labor and even sterilization.
“Amid growing international condemnation, the [People’s Republic of China] he continues to commit genocide and crimes against humanity, “US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
The move, which comes just a week after the United States announced sanctions against 24 Chinese officials for an offensive against democracy activists in Hong Kong, is the latest example of the increased willingness of the United States and its allies to confront the President Xi Jinping and his communist regime for human rights abuses, an approach that began with Donald Trump and now continues with the administration of President Joe Biden.
“Very welcome indeed, but may this be the beginning, not the end.” tweeted Benedict Rogers, a Catholic human rights defender who focuses on China and Southeast Asia, regarding tough action against the Chinese government.
Concern over human rights abuses in China is said to be one of the last remaining bipartisan issues in American politics, with support for further action against Beijing coming from both sides of the aisle.
“If any issue is ripe for a regular bipartisan process, this is it,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, told reporters last week.
The church remains silent
But while the governments of the United States and Europe are rapidly waking up to the threats to human dignity posed by China’s emboldened and ruthless communist leadership, and stepping forward in terms of action, one prominent institution remains relatively silent: the Church. Catholic
Regarding Beijing’s treatment of Uyghurs, aside from a single line in his 2020 book Let us dream Describing the Uyghurs as a “persecuted people,” Pope Francis has not made public comments on the plight of the oppressed minority group or criticized the Chinese regime, an especially glaring absence given the Holy Father’s typical willingness to comment directly on any number. of geopolitical circumstances. Nor has the Vatican had much to say about the dubious imprisonment of Hong Kong democratic activists, many of whom are prominent Catholics.
Indeed, Vatican officials in recent years have praised, or at least explained the criticism, Xi’s regime. In 2018, Monsignor Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, said, “at this time, those who best carry out the social doctrine of the Church are the Chinese” because they “seek the common well, it subordinates things to the general good. “And in 2020, the Holy See’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, received criticism after outlining a new policy that bans religious participation or instruction for anyone under the age of 18. as a “regulation” that applies equally to all religions.
When multinational corporations have similarly refrained from criticizing Beijing’s human rights abuses or even undermined efforts to confront the ruling regime, profit motives generally provide a good explanation.
For example, when corporations like Nike and Google lobbied against the Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act that was introduced to the US Congress in 2020, the explanation seemed simple: protect their ability to produce products cheaply, given that The supply chains of those companies and at least 82 recognized global brands include Chinese factories using Uighur forced labor.
And when the NBA publicly rebuked a team executive for a tweet he made in support of activists in Hong Kong who opposed the Chinese Communist Party’s dismantling of democratic norms, the obvious explanation was concern about impairing access. China and its 1 billion potential customers, a concern. which was, in fact, well founded, as China banned NBA broadcasts for an entire year, resulting in a “substantial” loss of revenue estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars.
The dependence that multinational corporations, including some of the largest American producers of Bibles, may have on China as a vital part of their supply chain makes them, in the words of human rights lawyer Nina Shea, “soft power assets.” for Beijing. .
Sensitive diplomatic situation
Regarding the silence of the Vatican’s public radio on human rights abuses in China, money is perhaps a less likely factor, although an exiled Chinese billionaire has claimed that an annual $ 2 billion bribe from the Chinese regime buys the money. Vatican silence on Xi’s crackdown on religion and democracy. . Instead, most experts point to a delicate and developing diplomatic situation between the Holy See and Beijing as the source of Rome’s caution.
In 2018, the two sides reached an agreement on the appointment of bishops in an effort to end a confusing situation in which there were two parallel episcopates, one officially approved by the Chinese state, the other loyal to the Pope. In the new arrangement, which was renewed in 2020, both Beijing and the Vatican have comments on the selection of bishops, although the Holy Father has said he has the final say.
The Vatican has framed the arrangement as purely ecclesiastical in nature, necessary to avoid an even deeper schism between the two Catholic groups in China, while also creating opportunities to discuss other issues, such as human rights abuses.
Advocates like Rogers understand the need for the Vatican to be diplomatic and nuanced in its dealings with the Chinese regime, but at the same time, he says that the deafening silence of the Holy Father regarding the plight of persecuted peoples in China, including the Catholics, it can make many feel abandoned by the Church. It suggests that even if the Pope does not issue a political statement on human rights abuses in China, praying publicly for Uighurs, Christians, democracy activists and others who are being repressed by the Chinese state could go a long way. .
“That would be something that most reasonable people would expect the Pope to do. But he hasn’t done it yet. “
Will it work?
Furthermore, even if the Vatican has made the prudential decision to refrain from publicly criticizing Beijing in order to shore up Episcopal integrity and enhance the long-term welfare of the Church in China, many observers doubt the tactic is worth it. . Hong Kong’s late governor Chris Patten said Pope Francis has been “exceptionally poorly advised” on the deal. And Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, a retired bishop of Hong Kong, warned that by negotiating with the atheist communist regime, the Church is losing its “dignity and credibility.”
“The resounding silence will damage the work of evangelization,” the cardinal said in September 2020, also noting that retaliation against Chinese Catholics has actually accelerated since the 2018 agreement was agreed.
Many also express doubts that the Chinese government will even keep its end of the bargain. Rogers recently wrote that China is already breaking aspects of the deal, such as putting priests under house arrest and prohibiting some from engaging in religious activities as the Church. And Nina Shea has pointed out that the recent Chinese government regulations for the selection of Catholic bishops do not mention any papal role in the process, “as if the deal never happened.”
“The short-term profit commitment can be defensible; outright sale for no profit and an undermining of the Church’s moral authority is not, ”wrote Rogers.
Other observers, such as Gladden Pappin of the University of Dallas and Adrian Vermeule of Harvard Law School, warn fellow Catholics not to make premature judgments about the fruitfulness of the China-Vatican agreement, or to exaggerate its goals. They have also pointed to some fruitful developments since the agreement was signed, such as the election of two new bishops and the recognition of five Vatican-appointed bishops who had not previously been installed.
“The long-term possibilities for the Church in China are currently open,” the two scholars wrote. “But from the Vatican’s point of view, the crucial first step is to bring the family of the Church itself into theological order, to prepare for whatever is to come. Catholics and others should try to see the deep old theological and political logic in that approach. “
What Lay Catholics Can Do
Whatever the approach of the Church hierarchy, human rights activists emphasize that the lay faithful can, and must, do everything possible to support persecuted peoples in China. Putting consumer power to use is one approach. The Australian Institute for Strategic Policy has put together a fairly comprehensive list of global brands likely to rely on Uighur forced labor in Chinese factories for components of their products, and there are also various petitions or sample letters and messages on social media asking companies that stop benefiting. of these human rights abuses.
Another “pressure point” may be the next Winter Olympics, to be held in Beijing in February 2022. Calls are increasing to boycott the games, or at least change the location, as they deny such internationally prestigious recognition. to China it could send a clear message that its policies of gross violation of human rights are unacceptable.
And, of course, Shea reminds Catholics to combine political action with the action of intercessory prayer.
“We need to be in solidarity with the suffering Body of Christ. And we should be praying for the Chinese Church in our churches. “
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