How the weight of China will influence the next Pope after Francisco’s opening in Asia
Him Pope Francesco Body He will be buried this Saturday in the Roman basilica of Santa María La Mayor. At that time, the mortal remains of José-Mario Bergoglio They would rest under the protection of a Marian image With a high spiritual value for Catholicism and a great symbolic power for the Jesuits and relationships – also political – between the Catholic Church and Asia.
The icon of the Virgin of the Basilica of Santa María La Mayor and Asia
This is the Byzantine icon of the Roman Virgin Populi, saving the Roman people, The first representation of María authorized Officially, from Papal Bull, to be spread and reproduce.
The icon of the Virgin of the Basilica of Santa María La Mayor is also a symbol of Catholic attempts to evangelize Asia. In fact, it became the emblem of the epic of the great Jesuit trips in the Eastern -oriental. To China.
In 1602, Father Matteo Ricci, a missionary and Jesuit sinologist, gave a copy of the icon to the Chinese emperor. The search for a step east for evangelization was one of the great axes of Bergoglio’s pontificate. It is also his political substance, according to many observers.
A decentralized conclave: for the first time the European cardinals are not the majority
Asia has received a blow of effect on redistribution, “revolutionary” according to many ecclesiastical sectors, of the cardinals who will have a vote in the conclave, thus breaking a Eurocentric custom that assigned a vast majority For the cardinals of the Old Continent, explains the theologian Gianni Criveller, a missionary for decades in the Chinese world and director of the Digital Journal Asia News.
“Surprisingly, cities like Paris, Milan and countries like Austria and Ireland will not have a cardinal in the conclave. Instead, we will have cardinals of Mongolia, where there are only a thousand Catholics, Myanmar and another from Thailand, large Buddhist countries,” said Criveller. For the first time, Asia will be represented by 23 voters of a total of 135. China will have one, Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-Yan, by Hong Kong.
The percentage of Asian voters is great compared to the extension of Catholicism in that region. The only exception is the PhilippinesA deeply Catholic country with a religiosity inherited from Spanish colonizers.
Without Asia and China, the Church runs the risk of being marginalized
Of the almost thousand five hundred million Catholics in the world, Asia represents ten percent; However, they are just over three percent. However, Asia is already a consolidated case of human and economic development And Vatican politics cannot pretend that it does not exist.
In consideration of the role historically conquered by Asia, the thought of papal diplomacy of Bergoglio, Being present in those areas no longer remote will be essential as traditional roots in EuropeAmerica and Africa.
One of the reasons why Asia is also relevant for the Vatican in Bergoglio’s time is technology. Indeed, Francisco was the first pontiff to go to a top of the G7 economy ministers. It happened in Apulia in June 2024 and had to talk about artificial intelligence.
The Gospel, passport for the world
The final goal of the geographical revolution of the voters of the College of Cardinals “is the spread of the Gospel. It is not proselytime, but simply transmit knowledge of the Gospel to other culturesExactly as the Jesuits did in the seventeenth century, “said Father Criveller.
A pastoral mission that aims to move the church of the colonial past of the West: Bring the world to RomeAnd not vice versa, certainly helped by his South American background.
The evangelical aspect is not everything. According to Professor Silvia Menegazzi, founder of the Center for Contemporary China Studies: “Pope Francis has a very precise vision of the relationships between states. A vision that has always been much more in line with that of the countries that we could call non -west, which we could call the global South. ” The Brics thus calledSo also China.
The Argentine pontiff has made pastoral trips to the Middle East, South Korea, Filippine, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Thailand, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Indonesia, Eastern Timor and Singapore. Despite political efforts, he did not visit the two Asian giants, India and China.
The Vatican and Beijing do not maintain diplomatic relationships. Indeed, The Holy See recognizes Taiwan as a Republic of China. And this is one of the reasons why Pope Francis did not make a pastoral journey following in the footsteps of his Jesuit predecessors. Beijing, however, expressed his condolences for the death of Francisco and is studying the possibility of sending a “high -cut government delegation”.
ADVERTISINGThe approach of the Catholic Church to Beijing
However, papal diplomacy has achieved significant political success with Beijing in 2018, the possibility of approving the appointment of the Chinese Catholic bishops by the communist regime. Until then, the Chinese authorities have unilaterally appointed local bishops, Subtracting the great credibility from the Catholic Church in the Chinese world. Starting from 2018, the regime appoints the bishop, but the Vatican approves his appointment.
“This agreement is certainly an exercise in the Vatican of” Real Politik “, in fact as a counterpart that the Pope was unable to visit the Catholics of Hong Kong, Macao and in particular Taiwan”, says Father Criveller, he adds: “Francisco intervened in detail on the issues relating to human and religious rights in China And the question of Tibetan Muslims and Buddhists or military threats against Taiwan. “
Paraphrasing, it could be said that Beijing deserves a mass. “Although the Pope has often made great statements of esteem and love towards Chinese people and culture,” concluded Gianni Criveller.
According to the official data, provided by the regime, there are about ten million Catholics in China. But Catholic sources say that it is only the faithful belonging to the official religious structures. There are also unofficial Catholic organizations, to which the authorities do not recognize up to thirty percent bishops, instead accepted by the Vatican.
ADVERTISING“In comparison to their predecessors, with Francisco, the relationships between China and the Vatican have improved. But not like the expected Vatican. China remains due to the ancient (and not only communist) tradition the most atheist country in the world,” said Menegazzi, who concluded by saying: “We will see how the successor establishes its Asian policy.” Of course, the relationship with China is more linked to the person of Francisco. So you will have to evaluate more how the new pontiff will look at China compared to vice versa. “
Although the composition of the conclave is partly linked to the political and religious guidelines of Deceased Jorge Mario BergoglioIt is not clear to what extent the political conditions of the world and Europe will allow the successor to complete the search for a turning point east started by Francisco.
“Of course, the late pontiff granted Great importance for politics and international relations. Only in this sense have we had, like him, in the contemporary era, only to John Paul II, “said Father Criveller.
