'Will Pope Leo end appeasement of Beijing bullies?', Benedict Rogers

The absence of the Taiwan president at Pope Leo's inauguration shows the Vatican's compromise with China

On May 18, the inaugural Mass for our new pope took place in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. As the world watched, Pope Leo XIV prayed at the tomb of St. Peter and received the “Fisherman’s Ring," symbolizing his status as the “Successor of St. Peter."

More than 200 world leaders were present, including the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, United States Vice-President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the presidents of Israel and Argentina, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward, from the United Kingdom, and Canada’s new prime minister Mark Carney.

One head of state from one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies, however, was missing — President Lai Ching-te. Despite hopes expressed by Taiwan’s foreign ministry earlier in May that President Lai would attend, Taiwan was represented by its former vice-president Chen Chien-jen.

President Lai’s absence is striking, given that the Vatican is one of only 12 states that formally recognize Taiwan. The decision for the former vice-president, rather than the current president, to attend Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass is almost certainly a deliberate compromise by the Vatican, designed to appease China without abandoning Taiwan. However, this is a concerning development.

Serving Taiwanese presidents attended both the funeral of Pope St. John Paul II and the inaugural Mass of Pope Francis, and former vice-president Chen — who also represented Taiwan at Pope Francis’ funeral — told The Guardian earlier this month that, “We prayed for the possibility for Dr Lai to attend the inauguration of the new pope.”

Beijing is suspected of exerting pressure on the Vatican to sever ties with Taiwan. But the Vatican’s continued willingness to compromise is troubling. As a state with official diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the Vatican should have ignored Beijing’s bullying and extended an invitation to President Lai.

Its failure to stand up to Beijing over Taiwan is the latest in a long line of compromises, which are the legacy of the Sino-Vatican agreement. Those compromises included asking several underground Catholic bishops who had spent years in prison for their loyalty to Rome to retire in favor of Beijing-appointed bishops.

And, it resulted in Pope Francis’ silence on human rights violations in China throughout his 12-year pontificate, including on the arrest, disappearance, or imprisonment of several Catholic bishops, the persecution of Christians of all traditions, atrocities in Tibet and against the Uyghurs, and the dismantling of Hong Kong’s freedoms.

The Vatican’s intentions behind its secret deal with China are no doubt noble. It was presumably hoped that signing the agreement with Beijing in 2018, which granted the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) a role in appointing Catholic bishops in China, would lead to improved religious freedom. It also presumably aimed to foster greater unity among Catholics, uniting those in the underground Church who had remained loyal to Rome with those in Beijing’s state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. 

Yet in the seven years since the agreement was signed, religious freedom in China has deteriorated significantly. Moreover, Beijing has breached the agreement at least twice, appointing Bishop John Peng Weizhao as auxiliary bishop of Jiangxi and Bishop Joseph Shen Bin in Shanghai without the required approval of the pope. And Catholics in China are more divided than ever, with many in the underground Church left feeling betrayed by Rome.

Under Leo XIV, many Catholics are praying for a change in direction. He has an opportunity to rectify the situation in five days’ time when, on May 24, the Church marks the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, which falls on the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians.

It was initiated by Pope Benedict XVI in his 2007 letter to the Church in China, and in 2021 Myanmar’s Cardinal Charles Bo — President of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences at the time — called for this to be turned into a week of prayer for China. An informal group of lay Christians from six continents responded to Cardinal Bo’s call and facilitated the Global Week of Prayer for China.

So, on May 24, Pope Leo XIV could — and should — lead prayers for China.

He should specifically pray for the Church in China, but also for Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Hong Kongers. Following his powerful recent remarks about the importance of press freedom and free speech, he should speak out for jailed journalists in China, including the prominent Catholic media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong. He should pledge to meet Lai’s son Sebastien, who lives in Taiwan.

He should also pray for Taiwan and peace in the Taiwan Strait. And he should make clear that the Vatican’s diplomatic ties with Taiwan are strong and will continue. He should receive the new Taiwanese ambassador to the Vatican, Anthony Ho Chung-Yi, at the earliest opportunity. The previous ambassador, Matthew Lee, recently expressed confidence that the new pope understands the difference between “democratic Taiwan and communist China”. But in the current context, it would be reassuring if Leo XIV expressed this publicly.

Lastly, a key step the pope could take would be to announce on May 24 a comprehensive review of the Sino-Vatican agreement.

Ideally, he should repeal it, but at the very least, he should make the text public and reveal the deal, and then engage in a consultation to review it. If it is to be renewed again in 2028, it must be with clear criteria, including the release of all jailed clergy, the release of Jimmy Lai, and significant improvements in religious freedom. If it cannot lead to improvements, it should be repealed.

On May 15, Taiwan’s former president, Tsai Ing-wen, arrived in London and was warmly welcomed by members of both Houses of Parliament at a reception in the House of Lords. I had the great privilege of meeting her, presenting my book The China Nexus: Thirty Years in and around the Chinese Communist Party’s Tyranny to her, and exchanging thoughts with her about the human rights situation in Hong Kong.

In contrast, it is disappointing that President Lai was not welcomed alongside other world leaders in St. Peter’s Square on May 18. I hope Pope Leo XIV can take steps to end the Vatican’s appeasement of the bullies in Beijing and stand with those who share the values of freedom, human rights, and human dignity around the world, including the democratically elected leaders of Taiwan.

This article was published in UCA News on 19 May 2025.