Consistorium 2022: A Missed Opportunity

 Cardinal Walter Brandmüller laments Pope Francis' gag order for the cardinals who are supposed to advise him.

By Roberto de Mattei*

There is a relationship between grace and nature analogous to that between faith and reason. There is an imbalance when there is faith without reason or grace without nature and vice versa, but the perfect balance is not in putting these realities on an equal footing. On the contrary, it consists in bringing them into their legitimate order, subordinating nature to grace, of which the former is the premise, just as the premise of faith is the reason, but which is subordinate to faith.

This helps us understand what "spirit of faith" or "supernatural spirit" means, depending on whether we are referring to the primacy of faith over reason or grace over nature. It means not renouncing the indispensable role of reason and nature, but seeing everything through the eyes of faith and expecting even the impossible from the work of grace.

Today that spirit of faith has been lost in the Christian people, beginning with their church leaders. The spirit of faith and the supernatural has been replaced by the political spirit with which Christians claim to understand and intervene in reality through reason alone, without resorting to the decisive action of grace.

Pope Francis has repeatedly recalled that the true reformers of the Church are the saints, yet his approach to the world's great issues always appears political and therefore "worldly" rather than "supernatural" and moved by a spirit of faith. This “political” approach dominated the recent consistory, held August 29-30th in the Vatican in the presence of some 180 cardinals, which missed a great opportunity to address the serious problems afflicting the Church today. The focus of the meeting of the cardinals was officially the reform of the Curia, which is contained in the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium being proposed, but the Pope has prevented the cardinals from expressing themselves in joint session on this and other subjects, as it were, he muzzled them.

The consistory is a meeting of the pope with the cardinals, who according to the code of canon law (canons 349-359) are his first advisers. For at least seven years, Pope Francis has not allowed the cardinals to speak and express their opinions at this solemn gathering. Everyone had expected this to happen at the end of the August meeting, but the consistory was fragmented into language groups at the behest of the pope, paralyzing the cardinals and preventing the open and direct dialogue that last took place in February 2014.

We are reminded of this truth by an important cardinal and great historian, Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, whose voice, which was not allowed to be heard in the consistory hall, echoes outside the hall. The Vaticanist Sandro Magister has allowed us to get to know them by publishing the speech that the cardinal had prepared but was not allowed to deliver.

Cardinal Brandmüller recalls in his document the function of cardinals anchored in canon law, which in ancient times found its symbolic expression in the rite of the "aperitio oris", the opening of the mouth. A rite, the cardinal explained, which “meant the duty to speak openly one's convictions, one's advice, especially in consistory. This openness – Pope Francis speaks of 'parrhesía' – was particularly important to the Apostle Paul. At the moment, unfortunately, that openness has been replaced by a strange silence. The other ceremony of closing the mouth, which followed the 'aperitio oris', referred not to truths of faith and morals, but to official secrets”.

"Today, however," Cardinal Brandmüller added, "we should emphasize the right, indeed the duty, of cardinals to speak clearly and frankly, especially when dealing with the truths of faith and morals, the 'bonum commune' of the Church. The experiences of the last few years have been very different. In the consistories - which were convened almost exclusively for the canonization processes - cards were distributed to ask for the floor and of course spontaneous interventions followed on any subject, and that was it. There was never a debate, an exchange of arguments on any particular subject. Apparently a completely useless procedure", although the primacy of the Successor of Peter in no way "precludes a fraternal dialogue with the cardinals, who are obliged to cooperate conscientiously with the pope” (can. 356). The more serious and urgent the problems of pastoral leadership, the more necessary is the involvement of the College of Cardinals”.

 

The cardinal, who is a Church historian, continues:

“When Celestine V wanted to renounce the papacy in 1294, recognizing the special circumstances of his election, he did so after intensive discussions and with the consent of his electors. A completely different view of the relationship between pope and cardinals was represented by Benedict XVI, who - a unique case in history - renounced the papal office for personal reasons without the knowledge of the college of cardinals that elected him. There were only 70 electors until Paul VI, who increased the number of electors to 120. This increase in the size of the electoral college, almost doubling it, was motivated by an intention to conform to the hierarchy of lands far from Rome and to honor those churches with the Roman purple. The inevitable consequence was that cardinals were installed who had no experience with the Roman Curia and thus with the problems of the pastoral leadership of the universal Church. All of this has serious consequences when these cardinals from the periphery are called to elect a new pope.”

Currently, it is like this:

“(...) many, if not the majority, of the voters do not know each other. Yet they are there to elect the Pope, one of them. It is obvious that this situation makes it easier for operations of cardinal groups or classes to favor one of their candidates. In this situation one cannot rule out the danger of simony in its various forms.”

The Cardinal's document concludes with a suggestion:

"Finally, it seems to me that the idea of restricting voting rights in the conclave, for example, to cardinals resident in Rome deserves serious consideration, while the other cardinals could share the 'status' of cardinals above octogenarian."

 

These are clear, unmistakable words that should make the entire College of Cardinals think.

Pope Francis' refusal to give the floor to the cardinals stems from the political and secular perspective of his pontificate. He fears that free and open discussion will weaken the exercise of his power, unaware that the truth can never harm the Church and the souls subject to Her. The spirit of faith, which is opposed to the spirit of politics, consists precisely in seeking in all things what is highest and most sublime, what is best for the glory of God and the good of souls, always looking to the commandments of the Gospel.

The alternative is between the truth of the Gospel and the power of the world. Proclaiming the truth of the Gospel does not mean talking about immigration or the climate emergency, but about the novissima- Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell - and the divine providence that governs all events of the created universe. Preaching the Gospel means using the voice of the Church to condemn sin, especially public sin, foremostly abortion and LGBT doctrines, which the world considers “civil rights achievements”. It means speaking of holiness and not of synodality, because it is from holiness and not from political mechanisms that the necessary reform (renewal) proceeds within the Church: a renewal of the people who form Her and not of Her divine ones and immutable constitution.

A cloak of silence has now fallen over the consistory. And the silence of those who should speak is the greatest punishment our Lord can inflict on His Church.

* Roberto de Mattei , historian, father of five children, professor of modern history and history of Christianity at the European University of Rome, chairman of the Lepanto Foundation, author of numerous books, most recently in German [Possibly English] translation:  Defense of Tradition: The Insurmountable Truth of Christ, with a foreword by Martin Mosebach, Altötting 2017 and  The Second Vatican Council. A Hitherto Unwritten Story, 2nd ext. Edition, Bobingen 2011.

Books by  Prof. Roberto de Mattei in German translation and books by  Martin Mosebach are from our partner bookshop..

Translation: Giuseppe Nardi
Image : Corrispondenza Romana

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Putschist at the Second Vatican Council and godfather of the homo and paedo episcopate (part 1)

Bishop Emiel Jozef De Smedt of Bruges. Pictured next to him Joseph Leon Cardinal Cardijn.

By Ferdinand Boischot

Emiel Jozef De Smedt was born in 1909 in Flemish Brabant (Belgium) into a wealthy family of brewers. His father was also mayor for the Christian Democrats there for a very long time.

In 1927 De Smedt entered the major seminary in Mechelen and was ordained a priest in 1933. He was then sent to Rome for two years to study, where he earned a doctorate in philosophy and later also in theology. A rapid career followed: at the age of 26 he became a professor at the Major Seminary in Mechelen, in 1938 Regens and in 1940 (at the age of 32!) President of the Seminary - all under Cardinal Jozef Ernest Van Roey and the then Vicar General, the Brussels Léon-Joseph Suenens.

In 1945 - in Belgium, repression raged after the Second World War with a clearly anti-Flemish and anti-Catholic tendency, while at the same time the episcopate was extremely silent and in great fear - De Smedt, at the age of 36, became consecrated as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Mechelen (since 1961 Archdiocese of Mechelen- Brussels).

Bishop Henricus Lamiroy died in West Flanders (diocese of Bruges) in 1951. Lamiroy had been very authoritarian, reactionary, and conservative towards his clergy and the faithful. He had a strong aversion to socialism, communism and Freemasonry and a great enthusiasm for the French language and for the rich Catholic tradition in France. At the same time he was critical and suspicious of the Belgian policy of compromise and Christian trade union activities.

At Lamiroy's death, the clergy in the Diocese of Bruges was split into very different factions. So, without further ado, De Smedt was piloted from the archdiocese of Mechelen to the diocese of Bruges, while at the same time the path for Suenens to the archdiocese of Mechelen was very elegantly cleared.

The province of West Flanders has always had a particularistic orientation: linguistically, economically and politically. Bishop De Smedt was very well received by the clergy and the people: he was more Flemish than Lamiroy, less authoritarian, closer to the people, very closely linked to Christian Democracy and politics, and showed more interest and goodwill in local customs and outward appearances.

Emiel Jozef De Smedt became auxiliary bishop of Mechelen in 1950 and bishop of Bruges in 1952.

Bishop De Smedt distinguished himself in particular in the expansion of Catholic education and in the fight for its state subsidization, which culminated in the so-called "Schoolstrijd" (school struggle). He made West Flanders the Christian Democratic bastion ( Christelijke VolksPartij CVP ) in Belgium, and this for the next six decades.

Under De Smedt, Catholic social life flourished tremendously with episcopal support and benevolence. The Major Seminary of Bruges developed into the largest seminary in Belgium. De Smedt ordained more than 620 priests in 33 years, including future bishops Johan Bonny ( publicly homophilic), Godfried Danneels (covering up pedophilia and known for his lost and found ring ), and Roger Vangheluwe ( pedophile bishop super-plus).

On the one hand, West Flanders and the Bruges diocese as an isolated Catholic wagon complex and the intensive connection axis between the Catholic University of Applied Sciences of Leuven and the Bruges diocese and seminary will dominate Church life in northern Belgium for almost 70 years.

The close ties between the bishop and diocese, Christian democracy and local politics, the flourishing of Catholic social life, and the major seminary of Bruges contrasted sharply with the rest of Belgium: the Catholic milieu had been steadily eroding there since the mid-1950s (from 1955 the number of seminarians decreased inexorably and sometimes rapidly, except in Bruges).

The Belgian Catholic Christian Democratic Eldorado in the bishopric of Bruges (West Flanders province) was noted in both Belgium and Rome and presented as a pastoral example. Bishop De Smedt thus acquired a special political and religious aura in a country undergoing secularization, especially in Flanders.

De Smedt allied himself primarily with the Christian Democratic Party. In 1958 he had the pulpit proclaimed that "it would be a sin to elect the Christelijke Vlaamse Volksunie ", a rival party.

In 1961 Cardinal Van Roey died and Suenens became Archbishop of Mechelen and Cardinal.

In the same year, 1958 Pope Pius XII died. Cardinal Roncalli became elected as Pope John XXIII. and proclaimed the Second Vatican Council.

Bishop De Smedt was appointed to the preparatory commission called the Secretariat for Christian Unity, although there were few other denominations or religions in West Flanders.

The 1960s were a very turbulent and truculent time for Belgium, both in general and in religious terms.

The Second Vatican Council opened with many expectations, hopes, fears, scruples, forebodings and many dreams and visions - and evidently with no small amount of evil intentions on the part of some participants.

Father Sebastian Tromp SJ, was tasked by Pope John XXIII.  with preparing the content of the Council, had carefully worked out a Working plan to keep the whole thing on track.

At the first plenary session of the Council on November 19, 1962, Bishop De Smedt, spokesman for the Secretariat for Christian Unity, took the floor and made an eloquent, fiery speech on the proposed text. He pleaded for the initiative of the Council Fathers and for freedom of thought and speech. The plenary then erupted.

John XIII decided to withdraw the text prepared by Father Tromp SJ.

The Council rapidly became more rebellious.

On December 3, 1962, Bishop De Smedt delivered a fiery criticism to the world public against what he believed to be the "clericalism" and "juridism" that prevailed in the Church. He also very sharply lamented their "triumphalism" (sic). His omissions were widely published in Le Monde, November 4, 1962.

The council went into a torrent: fierce discussions ensued, four "moderators" were elected to calm things down and steer the discussions. Of course, Cardinal Suenens immediately became the moderator and the council went on its bumpy, unfortunate course.

The "squadra belga" (Belgian team) had a very strong influence on the Council in the years that followed.

Not much is known about De Smedt - in contrast to other Belgians (e.g. Bishop André-Marie Charrue of Namur). He was mainly concerned with freedom of belief and pastoral renewal ( "Gaudium et spes"

It is striking that Bishop De Smedt hardly published anything substantial about the Council afterward.

The Council became more and more deadlocked with disputes between two major factions. The papal office was damaged, with the weak Pope Paul VI in particular, painted a pitiful picture. The Council was finally broken off rather abruptly at the end of 1965 and its end was decreed.

At the same time, the political situation in Belgium had become extremely unsettled in these years: a long-lasting economic crisis, high unemployment, the trials and tribulations and deep frustrations of the decolonization of the Congo, the burgeoning struggle of the Flemish for equality and fierce party fighting. The country suffered from high levels of political instability. In addition, in 1965 there was the sudden liturgical chaos, the confusion of the faithful, the escalation of the Vietnam War, the rebellion of the youth and the demand for the grand, noble Council ideals such as the wandering people of God, love, participation, freedom, joy, etc...

Since the 1960s, the Belgian bishops had kept anxious and neutral entirely out of politics.

From 1965, there was turmoil in the university town of Leuven. A Dutch-French language conflict that affected a kindergarten for professors' toddlers triggered nationwide riots and brought Belgium to the brink of a revolution.

The Belgian bishops, led by Suenens and De Smedt, fully associated themselves with the Belgian unitarian political leadership, which wanted to keep the Belgian unitary state.

On Friday, May 13, 1966, forgetting and negating the whole "spirit of the Council" with its noble ideals and bombastic words, they published the armored "Mandement of the Belgian bishops". In military command language they demanded hierarchical obedience of the faithful to the episcopal ordinances.

Flanders was immediately in turmoil.

The government fell twice, in 1966 and 1968. The Christian Democrats suffered huge losses. The first of an as yet unending series of state reforms was initiated.

Church attendance fell by 25% in one fell swoop, and by 75% in the decade that followed.

The Belgian bishops had blasted away the Catholic Church in Flanders in an attempt to save Belgium's unity (incidentally with strong free-spirited Masonic colouring).

Only small scraps remained there after the Second Vatican Council.

(Sequel follows.)

Death picture of Bishop Emiel Jozef De Smedt 1995.

Image: MiL

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

Musclehead Bishop of Winona Canonizes Queen Elizabeth

Edit: it’s one thing to grieve her passing, have Masses said, but this is the kind of presumption you get from narcissistic personalities like Barron. Barron is the one who decides who is in Hell, nobody is there.

[Turd on Fire]  I was in Rome last week to give a presentation to the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences. Perhaps at a later date I will share some of what I taught and learned at that conference. I was supposed to go the following week with my Word on Fire team to England for a series of talks and events. But midway through the Roman part of the journey, word came to us that Queen Elizabeth II had died. We immediately made the decision to postpone the England trip to a later time. But I’ve been thinking a good deal about the Queen during these days, especially as I have taken in the marvelous pageantry around her funeral exercises. [Gays love pageantry?] I agree with the army of pundits and commentators who have praised Elizabeth for her steadfastness, devotion to duty, sangfroid [Wish I could say the same of you and Bergoglio] in the face of trials, and love of country. But I should like to draw special attention to a dimension of her life too often overlooked—namely, her unapologetically [Huh?] Christian faith. 

Perhaps it is not as well known today as it once was, but the monarch of Great Britain is not simply a political and cultural figure but clearly a religious one as well. [Like murdering monks and faithful Catholic bishops and faithful? The Protestant Monarchy has something in common with the Communists Bergoglio is constantly praising.] During Queen Elizabeth’s coronation ceremony in 1953, the new ruler was presented with scepter, orb, ring, and crown, each one of which was emblazoned with the cross, symbolizing Christ’s [More like Satan] lordship over the world. And though she was surrounded during that ceremony with the crown jewels, she received a Bible [Sodomitical KJV] which was described as follows: “the most valuable thing that this world affords.” The most sacred moment of the coronation was the anointing, during which Elizabeth, stripped of royal insignia and wearing only a simple white dress, was anointed with chrism by the Archbishop of Canterbury, who prayed that the Holy Spirit would set her apart for service. Of course, by means of this sacred ceremony, Elizabeth became, not simply head of state, but also head of the Church of England. Just days before her coronation, she made this moving request to everyone in the British Commonwealth: “I want to ask you all, whatever your religion may be, to pray for me on that day—to pray that God may give me wisdom and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making, and that I may faithfully serve Him and you, all the days of my life.”

 AMDG 

"It would be an anachronistic mistake" - Francis interprets St. Pius V.

(Rome) On Saturday, September 17, Pope Francis received pilgrims from the Italian Diocese of Alessandria and young people from the Archdiocese of Spoleto-Norcia preparing for Confirmation in the large [and ugly] “Paolo VI” Audience Hall in the Vatican. For this reason, Francis divided his speech into two parts and addressed the pilgrims from Piedmont in the first part. However, the papal address was not so much intended for them, but as a message apparently intended for a different, far larger audience, since the reason for the pilgrimage was the 450th anniversary of the death of Pius V, that holy pope who is inseparably connected with the traditional Rite.

Francis warned in his assessment of Pius V against an "anachronistic error" and against reducing the holy pope to a "nostalgic, embalmed memory". Instead, it is about “grasping his teaching and his testimony”, but Francis himself seems to have his problems with that. Contrary to history, the reigning Pope gives the impression that the “Tridentine” Mass was autocratically unilaterally introduced by Pius V, while the liturgical reform of 1969 was introduced by the Second Vatican Council. However, the Council had already ended in 1965 and by no means had decided on the Novus Ordo Missae subsequently created by Annibale Bugnini.

The Dominican Antonio Michele Ghislieri, born in Bosco Marengo near Alessandria in 1504 and died in Rome on May 1, 1572, ruled the Church for six years. With the Bull Quo primum in 1570 he established the Missale Romanum as the so-called Tridentine Mass "forever" and prohibited its abolition or change. During his pontificate, the Battle of Lepanto, victorious for Christianity, also took place, ending the Islamic threat in the Mediterranean after centuries. In 1712 he was canonized.

After years of unequivocally expressing his rejection and even more his complete lack of understanding for those priests and faithful who are connected to the traditional Rite, Francis took action with the motu proprio Traditionis custodes and went on to the frontal attack. Pope Francis countered the Missale Romanum written “forever” by St. Pius V by saying that the liturgical reform introduced in 1969 was the “single form of expression of the lex orandi of the Roman rite”.

Francis warned his listeners accordingly in his address on Saturday. An exhortation apparently not addressed to the pilgrims from the Diocese of Alessandria, but to the priests and faithful committed to the traditional rite. In doing so, Francis even attempts a hussar ride by suggesting that the life and work of Pius V must be “interpreted”, which Francis does immediately in the spirit of the post-conciliar liturgical reform. 

"Pius V was a reformer of the Church who made courageous decisions, but..."

Francis  said:

“Dear brothers and sisters of the Diocese of Alessandria, the 450th anniversary of the death of Saint Pius V, the only Piedmontese Pope born in Bosco Marengo, in what is now the Diocese of Alessandria, gives rise to some very timely reflections.

Pope Pius V, born Antonio Ghislieri, faced numerous pastoral and governmental challenges in just six years of his pontificate. He was a church reformer who made bold decisions. Since then, the style of Church governance has changed and it would be an anachronistic mistake to assess certain works of Saint Pius V with today's mentality. Likewise, we must be careful not to reduce him to a nostalgic, embalmed memory, but to grasp his teaching and testimony. From this we can see that faith was the backbone of his entire life.

How can we interpret his teachings today? First, they invite us to search for the truth. Jesus is the truth, not only in a universal sense, but also in a corporate and personal sense; and the challenge is to live the search for truth today in the daily life of the Church and Christian communities. This search can only be done through personal and community discernment, starting from the Word of God (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 30, 50, 175).

This commitment, translated into discernment, makes a community grow in an ever more intimate knowledge of Jesus Christ; and then he, the truth, the Lord, becomes the basis of community life woven with bonds of love. Love is expressed in acts of sharing, from the physical to the spiritual dimension, acts that reveal the mystery that we carry in our 'clay pots' (cf. 2 Cor 4:7).

The Word of God comes alive especially in the celebration of the Eucharist, both at the 'Table of the Word' and at the 'Table of the Eucharist', where we touch, as it were, the flesh of Christ. Pius V was concerned with reforming the liturgy of the Church, and after four centuries the Second Vatican Council introduced another reform to better meet the needs of today's world. Much has been said in recent years about the liturgy, especially its outward forms. But the greatest effort must be made to ensure that the celebration of the Eucharist actually becomes the source of community life (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10).

In fact, faced with the crossroads on the path of communities, as well as the crosses of our personal life, the liturgy incorporates us into the priesthood of Christ and gives us a new modality that Saint Paul sums up in this way: 'I rejoice in suffering 'which I bear for you, and make up what is lacking in my flesh from the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of his body, which is the Church' (Col 1:24). At the end of the liturgy, having touched the Eucharistic flesh of Christ, the evangelizing community is sent out and 'puts itself into the daily lives of others through works and gestures, shortening distances, humiliating themselves if necessary, and embracing human life, in which they come in contact with the suffering flesh of Christ as a people.' (Evangelii gaudium, 24)

And then we must not forget that Saint Pius V recommended prayer, especially the Rosary. In fact, 'the Church's first steps in the world were preordained by prayer. The apostolic writings and the great record of the Acts of the Apostles give us the image of a Church on the way, an active Church, but which finds in the prayer meetings the basis and impetus for missionary activity' (Catechesis, November 25, 2020 ).

In this way, dear friends from Alessandria, I have reminded you of the four coordinates that guide us in our ecclesial journey, as it says in Acts 2:42: 'They clung to the teaching of the apostles and to the communion,  in the breaking of the bread and at the prayers.' Follow the teaching of the apostles, the teaching of the Church; live in community, not at war among us; living the Eucharist, breaking bread and praying: beautiful, isn't it? It is possible."

 

Text: Giuseppe Nardi

Image : Vatican.va (screenshots)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

The Inimitable John Augustine Waters

Bergoglio Grovels to Chinese Emperor but is Snubbed by Xi Jinping

 One historic meeting sought, another cancelled

On the flight to Nur-Sultan, Francis made an attempt to arrange a spontaneous meeting with Xi Jinping.

(Rome) Over the past three years, the Holy See has sought a meeting between China's Communist leader Xi Jinping and Pope Francis. There were also such efforts in the run-up to the Trip to Kazakhstan. However, the red rulers in Beijing waved this off. This recalls a parallel: while one historic meeting of Francis is being sought, another was canceled by him. Years of efforts by the Holy See to bring about a meeting between the Pope and the Russian Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow were successful in 2016. A second meeting was already fixed, but in this case, it was Francis who canceled it.

Philip Pullella, Reuters' Vatican correspondent, confirmed the latest development in Vatican-China relations:

"The Vatican has told China that Pope Francis is ready to meet with President Xi Jinping when the two were in the Kazakh capital, but Beijing replied that there was not enough time for a meeting, a Vatican source said Thursday."

The source did not elaborate, Pullella said, on how or when the Vatican approached the People's Republic of China, with whom it is "engaged in a delicate dialogue about the status of the Catholic Church in the country."

The Chinese side, according to the unnamed Vatican source, has always indicated that it "appreciates the gesture." However, Xi Jinping's scheduling did not allow a meeting. China's communist ruler was in Nur-Sultan on September 14 at the same time as Francis. Xi Jinping made his first trip abroad after more than two and a half years (Corona). First, he asserted in the Kazakh capital that the People's Republic of China is interested in a "stable" Kazakhstan. The People's Republic of China is Kazakhstan's most important foreign partner after Russia. In terms of exports, China is even the first addressee. Beijing has a stake in numerous Kazakh oil and gas companies, and the gas pipelines from Turkmenistan, which are important for China, run through Kazakhstan. Turkmenistan is the largest supplier of natural gas to Beijing.

Philip Pullella commented on a possible meeting between the Pope and "Emperor Xi":

"A meeting between the two men, no matter how brief, would have been historic." 

Historic would also be a visit of the Pope to Russia, which has been sought with much patience and emphasis since John Paul II. Francis seemed to be reaping the rewards when a first meeting with the Moscow Patriarch took place in Cuba in February 2016. Due to the territorial principle to which the Russian Orthodox Church adheres, the Pope's arrival on Russian soil has a significance to which fundamental questions are linked.

When asked about a meeting with Xi Jinping, Francis reacted briefly on the flight back from Nur-Sultan to Rome yesterday, saying only:

"I don't know anything about that."

  

On September 13, Francis had stressed on the flight to Kazakhstan:

"I'm always ready to go to China."

The extension of the secret agreement on the appointment of bishops signed in 2018 between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China seems to have been finalized since the beginning of September. The recent courtesies of Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on September 14th confirm this. Mao Ning is one of several press spokesmen for the Beijing Foreign Ministry. At the daily press conference, asked about Francis' statement to be ready for a visit to China, she said:

"I, too, have taken note of the relevant reports and appreciate the friendship and goodwill conveyed by Pope Francis. China and the Vatican maintain good communication. We are also ready to continue our dialogue and cooperation with the Vatican and to actively advance the process of improving relations."

 

However, an official confirmation that the secret agreement has been extended is still missing.

Mao Ning, press spokeswoman for the People's Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the september 14 press conference

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Vatican.va/fmprc. gov.cn (Screenshots)

Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com

AMDG

White privilege & Holocaust denial

Warning: foul language.