Vatican

Chinese Communist-approved cardinal took part in papal election. Why is no one talking about this?

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The conclave that elected the first American pope had another first that few have heard about: a voting cardinal named Stephen Chow who was approved for his current position by the Chinese Communist Party, pursuant to a 2018 pact between the Party and the Vatican. He is, by Chinese law, obliged to “support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party” as part of the CCP’s United Front Work Department. That’s its entity charged with conducting global propaganda and influence operations.

ChinaAid Urges Vatican to End Secret Agreement with Communist China, Stop Compromising with the Persecutors

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Midland, Texas (May 29, 2025) — ChinaAid expresses deep concern over the ongoing secrecy and consequences of the 2018 Vatican-China agreement. Since its signing, religious persecution in China, particularly against Catholics, has escalated, not diminished. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to tighten its control over religious life while the Vatican remains publicly silent.

TRAILER: Repeal the Deal: End the Vatican’s Sellout to the CCP

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As the Catholic Church prepares to elect a new pope, a critical question looms: will he answer the prayers of millions in China by ending the Vatican’s secret agreement with the Chinese Communist Party? This urgent “instant documentary”—produced by filmmaker Frank X. Panico in collaboration with the Committee on the Present Danger: China and Save the Persecuted Christians—exposes the devastating consequences of legitimizing a regime determined to control and suppress faith.

The new pope must stop bending the knee to Beijing

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As 133 cardinal electors gather in the Sistine Chapel tomorrow to begin the process of choosing a new Pope, there will be many considerations in their minds. They will be weighing up whether to build on or reject Francis’ legacy of progressive reform, whether to move in a more liberal or conservative direction, and whether to return the papacy to its Italian roots, opt for another European, or build on the precedent of the Latin American Francis and branch out to the wider world. Could this be the moment for an Asian or African pope?

INSTANT DOCUMENTARY: Repeal the Deal: End the Vatican’s Sellout to the CCP

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As the Catholic Church prepares to elect a new pope, a critical question looms: will he answer the prayers of millions in China by ending the Vatican’s secret agreement with the Chinese Communist Party? This urgent “instant documentary”—produced by filmmaker Frank X. Panico in collaboration with the Committee on the Present Danger: China and Save the Persecuted Christians—exposes the devastating consequences of legitimizing a regime determined to control and suppress faith.

China’s puzzling influence on the conclave

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Why did the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) choose this week, during the papal interregnum, to announce the “election” of new Catholic bishops without papal approval, in apparent* violation of their secret agreement with the Vatican?

The Next Pope Needs a Better China Policy

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Reforming the Vatican’s policy on China should be a priority of the next papacy. The current approach is defined by the Vatican’s controversial 2018 agreement with China to share power with Beijing in the appointment of Catholic bishops. It severely compromises the Catholic Church in China and erodes papal religious and moral authority.