Matteo Maria Zuppi and Xi Jinping
Zuppi now also goes to China The long “yellow thread” of Vatican diplomacy and communism
Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the CEI (Italian Episcopal Community) and true right-hand man of Pope Francis as regards international diplomacy, is very active. After Kiev, Moscow and Washington, it will now be Beijing’s turn. Relations between China and the Vatican formally broke down in 1951, when the last nuncio was ousted by Mao’s communists who had taken power in 1949. Since then there has only been a parallel, non-formal diplomacy, built on facts rather than rules.
The trip to China was in the air but only now does the concrete possibility filter through the Vatican that it must be realisedare in objectives and above all in precise dates. “Officially” the diplomatic mission aims at the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine. To this end, Moscow and Kiev have already been sounded out. However, the Vatican knows that it will not be a walk in the park and is trying to involve the superpowers such as the USA and China to guarantee the maximum possible coverage.
The presence of thermonuclear devices in Belarus is a real threat to the whole worldwhich calls for quick and decisive action. But China, beyond the contingent of the current war, is a game that the Vatican has held dear for years. In fact there is the unresolved problem of the Chinese Catholic community which has been oppressed since the establishment of communism.
The concrete problem that interests the Oltretevere – perhaps more than the war – is that of bishop appointments which Beijing is currently making and Rome has no choice but to adapt. Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, has often accused Pope Francis of selling out the Chinese Catholic community to Communist power. We even talked about it years ago.
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