On Sunday, Leo XIV gave the first sign that he is willing to take on the debacle left by Pope Francis regarding the plight of Catholics in China resulting from the Vatican's secret deal.
(LifeSiteNews) -- Yesterday, Pope Leo XIV gave the first sign that he is willing to take on the debacle left by Pope Francis regarding the plight of Catholics in China.
As LifeSiteNews has reported, the secret Vatican-China deal – set up by disgraced Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and approved and perpetuated by Francis and his Secretary of State Pietro Parolin – has seen Catholics forced underground as the communist nation effectively controls Catholicism in the totalitarian regime.
After praying the Regina Caeli on Sunday, Leo XIV proved himself quite the diplomat. He first spoke about a Polish martyr who died under the communists, and then went on to talk about the Catholics suffering in China – offering a pointed critique of the communist regime which was at the same time both politically veiled and yet painfully obvious.
Here is exactly what he said:
Yesterday in Poznań (Poland), Stanislaus Kostka Streich, a diocesan priest killed in hatred of the faith in 1938 because his work on behalf of the poor and workers irritated followers of the Communist ideology, was beatified. May his example inspire priests in particular to give themselves generously in the service of the Gospel and their brothers and sisters.Also yesterday, on the liturgical Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary Help of Christians, we celebrated the Day of Prayer for the Church in China, established by Pope Benedict XVI. In churches and shrines throughout China and around the world, prayers were offered to God as a sign of concern and affection for Chinese Catholics and their communion with the universal Church. May the intercession of Mary Most Holy obtain for them, and for us, the grace to be strong and joyful witnesses of the Gospel, even in the midst of trials, so that we may always promote peace and harmony.
Just a few days ago, Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom at The Hudson Institute, appeared on EWTN's World Over with Raymond Arroyo to suggest that Leo XIV ought to avail himself of the momentum he has and address the scandalous Vatican-China deal. Her talking points to Arroyo demonstrate how truly awful this scandal really is:
But it is worse still – not only did the Vatican under Francis throw the Chinese faithful Catholics under the bus, they lied about it:
The repression of the faith is so blatant in China, you can see it is nothing more than a direct effort on the part of the communists to destroy Catholicism. Listen to just a few of the details from Nina Shea:
Did you catch that? Children are banned from church in China and sermons must quote their Communist leader. Moreover, the day after Francis died, the communist regime appointed two new bishops. But what should be done?
Here are Nina’s suggestions for a way forward:
Will Leo XVI now revisit and deny those appointments? That remains to be seen, but from what we have seen, Fr. Chris Alar was totally right in his assessment that Leo XVI would be both conservative and progressive. While we see hopeful signs with respect to China, in the very same address he threw a bone to the radical environmentalists activated under Francis, saying:
Ten years ago, Pope Francis signed the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’, devoted to care for our common home. It has had an extraordinary impact, inspiring countless initiatives and teaching everyone to listen to the twofold cry of the Earth and of the poor. I greet and encourage the Laudato Si’ movement and all those who carry on this commitment.
As ever, we must remain vigilant and pray.
