WHILE THERE has been no official response from the communist government to Pope Benedict XVI’s criticism of China in his Christmas message for limiting freedom of religion, a state newspaper came out yesterday with a strongly worded editorial warning the Vatican to stop meddling in Beijing’s business.

“The pontiff sounded more like a western politician than a religious leader. . . before the pope attacks China’s internal affairs, he may want to rethink the Vatican’s so-called role as a protector of religious freedom,” said the Global Times, the English-language edition of the People’s Daily.

“China has large numbers of Catholics, other Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Taoists. Were they all to report to certain foreign power centres, China would not be complete,” it said.

Relations between Beijing and the Holy See have been poor since the communists kicked foreign clergy out in the 1950s and severed ties with the Vatican. China’s officially atheist government requires that Christians of all denominations worship in state-registered churches. Since the years after the revolution in 1949, the communists have refused to allow Catholics to recognise the authority of the pope; instead they have to join the official Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which has five million members.

The Vatican estimates about eight million Chinese Catholics worship secretly in underground churches not recognised by the government.

The Vatican is one of the few states in the world that give diplomatic recognition to Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province. This is a key irritant to relations between the Holy See and Beijing.

There are ongoing talks about switching diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. However, there are many hurdles, not least Beijing’s demand to have a veto over whom the Vatican appoints as a bishop.

In recent years under Pope Benedict, relations have improved. Disputes over appointments in China’s official church have been avoided by quietly conferring candidates, which means that most state-approved bishops have a Vatican blessing, but occasionally Beijing appoints bishops who do not meet Vatican approval.

Recently this has led to a deterioration in relations, prompting the pontiff’s remarks, and possibly signalling a tougher approach by the Vatican.

“Benedict’s remarks are nothing new. Chinese Catholic priests held a conference lately and elected their own leaders without the pope’s recognition, as they have always done.

“This irritated the pope, who wants to lord over all Catholic believers in the world. Sooner or later, Vatican will have to adjust its China policy,” the editorial stated.

(Source: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2010/1228/1224286364915.html)