Post 10881706 2 hours ago • View on 8kun
After talks with Mike Pompeo, Holy See asserts right to move forward on accord with China about appointment of bishops. 2 Oct 2020 The Vatican’s number-two official asserted the city state’s right to pursue an accord with Beijing on the appointment of bishops that has been strongly criticised by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo following talks between the two sides in Rome. Pompeo met Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher on Thursday on a visit marked by Vatican irritation over Pompeo accusing the Holy See of putting its “moral authority” at risk if it renewed an agreement with China on the appointment of bishops. The essay, published in a conservative US Catholic publication that has called Pope Francis’ pontificate a failure, sparked a minor diplomatic crisis. Vatican officials suggested Pompeo was trying to drag the Catholic Church into the US presidential election by denouncing its relations with China; an allegation Pompeo denied. Parolin, second only to the pope in the Vatican hierarchy, spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a book launch on Thursday night and said the two sides’ positions remained far apart on their approach to China. “He (Pompeo) explained his reasons for making those statements and we explained our reasons why we intend to move ahead on the path we have already chosen,” Parolin said. The Vatican “asserts (the right to move forward) with a choice that has been thought through, reflected on, prayed over, a choice the pope has made, therefore the freedom to move forward”, he added. The Vatican wants to extend the China accord, which was signed in 2018 and envisages a process of dialogue in the selection of bishops. It hopes the agreement will help unite China’s Catholics, who have been split between those clandestinely following Rome – and those belonging to an official, state-sanctioned church set up by the Communist Party. MORE AT LINK: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/2/us-vatican-clash-over-china-as-pompeo-urges-harsher-stance
Post 10881711 2 hours ago • View on 8kun
Pope Fran
cis Refused to Meet With Pompeo, Citing Election as Conflict of Interest October 1, 2020 Quinton Zuk Pope Francis declined to see U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo while he visited the Vatican Thursday. The pope said he does not see politicians during an election period. The Catholic Church has recently been negotiating with China about religious freedoms in the communist country. The Vatican accused Pompeo of trying to use that issue to attract voters in November’s presidential election. In a speech in Rome on Wednesday, Pompeo called on the Vatican to defend religious freedom in China, saying “nowhere is religious freedom under assault more than in China.” https://www.9and10news.com/2020/10/01/pope-francis-refused-to-meet-with-pompeo-citing-election-as-conflict-of-interest/
