Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi criticized Pope Francis for the Vatican’s agreement with China on bishop appointments during an interview with the National Catholic Reporter published on Tuesday, December 10.
The California congresswoman and former speaker of the House of Representatives told the outlet that she is not “very happy” with the agreement between the Vatican and China, saying: “I don’t know what they have achieved” and added: “Do you know of any success ?
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“For decades, we have seen the suffering of Catholics in China,” Pelosi, who is Catholic, told the Reporter. “I have a completely different point of view (than Francisco). …Why should the Chinese government have a say in the appointment of bishops? I’ve talked to some people here and they say, ‘Well, we have to keep up with the times.’ That?! I don’t understand”.
In January 2018, Pope Francis and Chinese officials signed an agreement giving the Chinese Communist Party information about bishop appointments. Most details of the agreement and its operation have not been made public, but the pontiff revealed in September 2023 that the agreement created a joint China-Vatican commission on the appointment of bishops.
The agreement has been renewed three times, most recently in October. The most recent renewal extends the agreement until October 2028. Despite the appearance of friendlier relations on the surface, a report published in October by the Hudson Institute found that “religious repression by the Catholic Church in China has intensified” since the agreement went into effect. In November 2022, the Vatican accused China of violating the terms of the agreement.
In her interview with the Reporter, Pelosi referenced the Gospel of Matthew in her criticism of the agreement between the Vatican and China.
“Let me put it this way: ‘You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,’” Pelosi said. “All bishops have emerged from that rock. And now, the Chinese government?”
The congresswoman said she had spoken with the papal nuncio about “what our concerns were,” and commented that those concerns were bipartisan: “This unites many of us because, over time, even bishops were being murdered. It is as if they were martyrs.”
Pelosi also showed solidarity with Cardinal Joseph Zen, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong and staunch critic of the Chinese Communist Party and the agreement between the Vatican and China. In 2022, Hong Kong police arrested the cardinal for his role in helping pro-democracy protesters pay their legal fees, but he was later released on bail.
“With all the respect in the world for His Holiness, Pope Francis, my point of view is closer to that of Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen,” Pelosi told the Reporter.
In 2020, Cardinal Zen told EWTN News’ CNA that he had not seen any positive changes for the Church following the agreement with China.
“Is there a choice between helping the government destroy the Church or resisting the government to keep our faith?” Zen asked.
According to an October report from the US Commission on International Religious FreedomChina has continued its persecution of Catholics and other religions through its policy of “sinicization of religion,” which means making religion conform to Chinese culture.
The report noted that, in practice, the policy essentially subordinates religions to “the (Chinese Communist Party’s) political agenda and the Marxist view of religion.” This includes censoring religious texts, forcing clergy to preach the party’s ideology, and requiring the display of Chinese Communist Party slogans in churches.
In her interview with the Reporter, Pelosi also spoke about a wide range of topics, including declining Catholic support for the Democratic Party in the 2024 elections and her disputes with Catholic bishops over their strong support for abortion.
Although her prelate, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco, prohibited her from receiving Communion within the archdiocese because of her support for abortion, Pelosi told the Reporter that she received Communion “anyway” and said, “That’s her problem; not mine.”
“My Catholic faith is: Christ is my savior,” Pelosi said. “It has nothing to do with the bishops.”
Pelosi won her re-election by a margin of more than 60 points in California’s heavily Democratic 11th Congressional District. The congresswoman, who will turn 85 in March 2025, resigned from her leadership position within the Democratic Party in 2016 and was replaced by Representative Hakeem Jeffries, who currently serves as House Minority Leader.
Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.
Tyler Arnold
Tyler Arnold is a reporter for the National Catholic Register. He previously worked at The Center Square and has published in a variety of outlets, including The Associated Press, National Review, The American Conservative, and The Federalist.