Cardinal Joseph Zen, the most senior Catholic cleric on Chinese soil, said he believed the two sides were making a “secret deal,” although he acknowledged he had no connection with the Vatican and was “completely in the dark.”
“They’re giving the flock into the mouths of the wolves. It’s an incredible betrayal,” he said.
The Vatican and China have been in advanced talks this year to forge what would be a historic breakthrough and precursor to a resumption in diplomatic relations after 70 years, with Secretary of State Pietro Parolin among the chief negotiators. Zen described Parolin, the highest-ranking diplomat in the Vatican, as someone who despises heroes of faith.
“He should resign,” Zen told Reuters on Sept. 20 at his home on a wooded hillside on Hong Kong island.
Zen, meanwhile, stopped short of calling on Pope Francis to step down, saying: “I would not come out to fight the Holy Father, that is my bottom line.”
The Vatican didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Zen’s remarks.
At a time when the Vatican is also under pressure for purportedly covering up a sex-abuse scandal in the United States, with one archbishop even calling for the Pope to resign, Zen suggested this China deal would further add to the church’s vulnerability.
“The consequences will be tragic and long lasting, not only for the church in China, but for the whole church because it damages the credibility.”
