Pope Francis Ignores China’s Crimes Against Humanity

(RightWing.org) – Pope Francis is one of the most political popes of recent times. He rarely hesitates to give his opinion on world issues or criticize governments. However, there’s one country he doesn’t seem to want to talk about — China.

“To build peace in truth means above all to respect the human person with his or her ‘right to life and to physical integrity.” https://t.co/S8ptcjn2Yl via @americamag

— Society of Jesus (@JesuitsGlobal) January 10, 2023

On January 9, the 75-year-old Argentinian pope delivered a speech to foreign diplomats who work in the Vatican. In the address, he covered many of the world’s current problems. Among the conflicts he condemned were the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing civil war in Syria and the fighting in Yemen. He talked about terrorist campaigns in Africa, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Mali. But he had almost nothing to say about China.

If you’re discussing violence and human rights abuses, China is an odd country to leave out because the Beijing regime is currently using its military to threaten democratic Taiwan. It’s imposing a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. Notoriously, it’s persecuting the Uyghur ethnic minority on a scale that approaches genocide. But Pope Francis had nothing to say about any of that.

In fact, the only time the pope mentioned China was to defend a 2018 agreement between the Vatican and the Chinese Communist Party on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China. That agreement gave the Vatican more say over the choice of bishops, but it also gave the CCP more control over Christian churches in the country. A retired Hong Kong cardinal got into a dispute with Rome after calling the deal a sellout.

The same day as his address to the diplomats, the honorary bishop of Hong Kong, who was released on bail to make the trip after being jailed for violating the former British colony’s draconian National Security Law, visited Francis. The pope would likely have heard from Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun just how bad things are in China. His failure to condemn Beijing is undoubtedly a serious disappointment to China’s persecuted Christians.