China Congratulates Pope Leo XIV on Election, Hopes for Continued "Constructive Dialogue"

On May 8 (local time), the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulated Pope Leo XIV (Robert Francis Prevost), who was elected as the 267th pope at the conclave held in the Vatican, and expressed hope for continued "constructive dialogue" with the Vatican. Currently, the Vatican maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan, not China. China, which upholds the "One China" principle, has cited this as a reason for not establishing official diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

At a regular press briefing on May 9, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian was asked to comment on the election of an American as the new pope. He stated, "We congratulate Cardinal Robert Prevost on his election as the new pope."

Spokesperson Lin went on to say, "We hope that under the leadership of the new pope, the Vatican will continue dialogue with China in a constructive spirit and engage in in-depth communication on international issues of mutual concern." He also added, "We hope to jointly promote the continuous improvement of China-Vatican relations and contribute to world peace, stability, development, and prosperity."

Pope Leo XIV. Photo by AFP and Yonhap News Agency

Earlier, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China, both Catholic organizations under the Chinese government, had sent congratulatory messages to Pope Leo XIV. However, the specific content of the messages was not disclosed. The Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association is an official Catholic organization established in 1957 under the direction of the Chinese authorities. Since severing ties with the Vatican in 1951, China has used this organization to control domestic Catholic believers and clergy.

China does not recognize foreign intervention in religious affairs. In the past, it also refused to accept the pope's authority to appoint bishops and has independently appointed clergy. During this process, clergy loyal to the Holy See faced persecution, and many moved their activities to so-called "underground churches." The number of Catholics in China is estimated to be around 10 million, with a significant portion reportedly following underground churches rather than government-approved organizations.

Former Pope Francis focused on restoring relations with China in order to protect underground church members and unite the divided Chinese Catholic community. As part of these efforts, the Holy See and China reached a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops in 2018. Under this agreement, the Chinese government recognizes the pope as the supreme leader of the Catholic Church, and the Holy See approves bishops appointed by the Chinese authorities.

This agreement was criticized as a compromise with the Chinese Communist Party, which suppresses religious freedom, but it was subsequently renewed in 2020 and 2022. In October of last year, it was extended for another four years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.