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Pope Francis-era deal with Chinese Communist Party again under scrutiny as Pope Leo takes the reins
Pope Leo XIV celebrates first Mass as pontiff
Pope Leo XIV, history’s first North American pope, said Friday that his election was both a cross and a blessing as he celebrated his first Mass in Sistine Chapel. (Associated Press)
A 2018 deal between the Vatican and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) secured by Cardinal Pietro Parolin is once again under scrutiny as questions remain over how newly appointed Pope Leo XIV will take on the CCP.
The Parolin-brokered deal was and remains a controversial agreement between the leaders of the Catholic Church and the CCP, which has long oppressed Catholics across China.
While the agreement was championed by the late Pope Francis and his secretary of state, Parolin — the Vatican’s top diplomat — as a step toward «normalizing» Catholicism in the communist nation, experts argue it has brought dangerous consequences for the faithful.
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Cardinal Pietro Parolin. (Stefano Carofei /IPA/Sipa/IMAGN)
«It erodes papal authority to appoint bishops, the leadership of the Catholic Church in China,» Nina Shea, senior fellow and director of the Center for Religious Freedom at Hudson Institute, told Fox News Digital.
«A principal responsibility of a bishop is to train and ordain priests,» she explained. «Therefore, the CCP has been given control in determining the chain of authority in the hierarchical church.»
Under this agreement, all Catholic clergy are required to register with the CCP’s Patriotic Association — which was created in 1957 and was long rejected by the Catholic Church as illegitimate because it required that all clergy reject foreign influence, including that of the pope.
Parolin in 2019 said the aim of this agreement was «to advance religious freedom in the sense of finding normalization for the Catholic community.»
Details of the deal remain unclear because it has been kept secret, explained Shea.
While the agreement reportedly looked to end the decades-long negative ties between the Vatican and the CCP by allowing China to have more influence over bishop appointments, experts have argued for years it gave too much authority to the oppressive government.
But there is an even greater problem when it comes to the Vatican seeming to have capitulated to the CCP.
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Pope Francis greets the people of China as he concludes Mass in the Hun Theatre in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Sept. 3, 2023. (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
Following the agreement, the Vatican additionally agreed to drop its support for the underground Catholic network, which has existed in China for decades and has supported millions of Catholics in the country.
According to Shea, the CCP essentially «tricked» the Vatican because it simultaneously, in what she believes was an unbeknownst move to Parolin, banned children from being allowed in the Catholic Church — this ban included important sacraments of the church like baptisms, holy communion and confirmations.
The ban effectively blocks the continuation of the Catholic Church in China.
«The underground, even during the harshest period under Mao, carried out this education and evangelization,» Shea said. «Without being able to perpetuate itself, the Catholic Church in China could die out in a couple generations.»
«It’s a campaign to create an atheist society,» she added.
The Vatican did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s questions over whether Pope Leo will adhere to the agreement with the CCP or look to forge a new one.
A man looks on in a Catholic church in Zhuozhou, China’s northern Hebei province, on April 22. (Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images)
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But in his first homily on Friday since being made leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo highlighted the church’s fight against rising atheism.
«There are many settings in which Jesus, although appreciated as a man, is reduced to a kind of charismatic leader or superman. This is true not only among non-believers but also among many baptized Christians, who thus end up living, at this level, in a state of practical atheism,» he said. «These are contexts where it is not easy to preach the Gospel and bear witness to its truth, where believers are mocked, opposed, despised or at best tolerated and pitied.»
The pope said, for this reason, «missionary outreach is desperately needed.»
Pope Leo warned that a «lack of faith» has led to not only a «loss of meaning in life» for many, but also «the neglect of mercy, appalling violations of human dignity, the crisis of the family and so many other wounds that afflict our society.»
Pope Francis appoints U.S.-born cardinal, prelate prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, Robert Francis Prevost during the Ordinary Public Consistory for the Creation of new Cardinal at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Sept. 30, 2023. (Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
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While congratulatory messages were issued by leaders of Catholic and non-Catholic nations alike, China did not issue a similar message upon the pope’s appointment on Thursday.
In a Friday press conference, when asked about the Church’s new leader, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, «We hope that under the leadership of the new pope, the Vatican will continue to have dialogue with China in a constructive spirit, have in-depth communication on international issues of mutual interest, jointly advance the continuous improvement of the China-Vatican relations and make contributions to world peace, stability, development and prosperity.»
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Al menos cinco muertos y diez heridos en un ataque israelí en la frontera entre Líbano y Siria
Al menos cinco personas murieron y otras diez resultaron heridas en un ataque perpetrado este jueves por el Ejército de Israel en el paso fronterizo de Masnaa, que se encuentra en la gobernación libanesa de Becá (este), a pesar del alto el fuego alcanzado en noviembre de 2024.
El Ministerio de Sanidad de Líbano informó a través de un breve comunicado recogido por la agencia de noticias NNA de que se trata de un balance preliminar y sostiene que “el ataque del enemigo israelí” tuvo como objetivo un vehículo ubicado en la carretera de Masnaa. Por el momento, el Ejército de Israel no se ha pronunciado al respecto.
Por otro lado, la cartera ministerial confirmó también la muerte de una persona en un ataque aéreo en la localidad de Kfardan, en la gobernación de Baalbek, que se encuentra en el extremo nororiental del país.
Israel justifica este tipo de ataques contra Líbano argumentando que actúa contra actividades del grupo terrorista Hezbollah y que, por ello, no viola el alto el fuego pactado en noviembre, si bien tanto Beirut como el grupo se han mostrado críticos con estas acciones, igualmente condenadas por Naciones Unidas.
El pacto, alcanzado tras meses de combates al hilo de los ataques del 7 de octubre de 2023, contemplaba que tanto Israel como Hezbollah debían retirar sus efectivos del sur de Líbano. Sin embargo, el Ejército israelí ha mantenido cinco puestos en el territorio de su país vecino, algo también criticado por las autoridades libanesas, que exige el fin de este despliegue.
Por otra parte, el Consejo de Ministros de Líbano aprobó este jueves la propuesta de Estados Unidos sobre el desarme de Hezbollah. El anuncio se produjo tras una sesión celebrada en el Palacio de Baabda, en la que el gabinete libanés avaló los objetivos presentes en el documento presentado por el enviado estadounidense Tom Barrack.
El ministro de Información, Paul Morcos, declaró que “el gabinete ha concluido el debate del primer punto de su sesión y ha aprobado los objetivos establecidos en la introducción del documento estadounidense para consolidar el acuerdo de cese de hostilidades”.
Morcos señaló que el gobierno sigue “a la espera de un plan de implementación del Ejército” y afirmó: “Hemos acordado poner fin a la presencia armada en todo el país, incluido Hezbollah, y desplegar el Ejército libanés en las zonas fronterizas”, según declaraciones recogidas por NNA.
El documento estadounidense propone que Líbano adopte medidas que extiendan su soberanía sobre todo su territorio, incluyendo el monopolio estatal sobre la decisión de guerra y paz, así como sobre el uso de las armas. Plantea la progresiva eliminación de la presencia armada de todas las facciones no estatales, incluido Hezbollah, la movilización del ejército en puntos clave de la frontera y la retirada de Israel de las zonas libanesas que ocupa actualmente.
El plan insta a resolver los puntos pendientes con Israel mediante “negociaciones indirectas y medios diplomáticos”, y contempla el retorno de los residentes desplazados a sus localidades afectadas por el conflicto. También reclama una delimitación “permanente y visible” de las fronteras de Líbano con Israel y Siria. Washington ha propuesto una conferencia económica internacional para reconstruir la economía libanesa y canalizar más apoyo a las fuerzas de seguridad del país, vinculando estos pasos a la visión del expresidente Donald Trump para el desarrollo económico nacional.
El enviado estadounidense, Tom Barrack, afirmó este jueves que el gobierno libanés tomó una decisión “histórica” esta semana al avanzar hacia el desarme de Hezbollah, respaldado por Irán, tal como ha solicitado Washington.
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While she is shutting down her sanctuary state’s migrant shelters, critics are accusing Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey of simply shifting the costs over to a program that makes migrants eligible to receive at least $30,000 in housing assistance over two years.
The Boston Herald reported in June that the Healey administration had increased spending in Massachusetts’ HomeBASE program to $97 million in 2025, up from $9.5 million in 2022, according to state data.
The outlet reported that eligible families in the Massachusetts-run shelter system were being provided with $30,000 in rental assistance over two years. According to the Herald, the total caseload for HomeBASE increased under Healey from 1,473 in January 2023 to 7,767 in April 2025, more than a 400 percent increase. The outlet also said that some eligible families could qualify for an additional $15,000 in a third year of assistance but that state officials planned to pause third year assistance in July.
After that report, Massachusetts GOP Chair Amy Carnevale commented that the HomeBASE program amounted to being «shelters by another name.»
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As Massachusetts Democratic Governor Maura Healey closes down the sanctuary state’s migrant shelters, she is facing criticism for simultaneously shifting costs to dramatically increase spending on a program that detractors say makes immigrants eligible to receive $30,000 in housing assistance. (Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images and Joseph Prezzioso/AFP via Getty Images)
«Taxpayers are giving migrant families nearly limitless free rental assistance. Meanwhile, federal action means these families won’t be receiving work permits anytime soon,» she went on, adding, «The migrant shelter crisis is not over, and cost-shifting is not leadership.»
This month, Healey announced the closure of all remaining hotel shelters in the Bay State amid the formal termination of her executive emergency focused on the state’s Biden-era migrant influx.
In a statement emailed to Fox News Digital, Carnevale said that «friends, favors, and failures continue to emerge even as she declares that the migrant crisis is over.»
«Healey should rip off the Band-Aid and tell the public whether these same oversights are occurring in the HomeBASE program,» she continued.
TOM HOMAN PUTS SANCTUARY CITIES ‘ON NOTICE’ AS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKS DOWN ON IMMIGRATION
A security guard patrols the emergency overflow shelter for migrants at the Melnea A. Cass Recreation Complex in Boston. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
«The abuse of taxpayer dollars, coupled with a stunning lack of oversight by Maura Healey and her administration, will define her legacy as governor.»
Meanwhile, Jon Fetherston, a former Massachusetts migrant shelter director who blew the whistle about rampant crime and abuse taking place in the system, commented that «instead of creating stability, HomeBase has become a revolving door of short-term rental assistance.»
He said that because migrants often spend the bulk of their $30,000 on upfront costs, many become unable to sustain their housing within months.
«The Healey Administration’s expansion of the HomeBASE program was sold to the public as a solution, one that would save money, reduce shelter dependence, and help migrant families become self-sufficient. But the reality is far different,» he explained. «HomeBASE is now a bloated, mismanaged program that’s failing both the taxpayers who fund it and the migrants it claims to help.»
ICE RAID TIPOFFS FROM DEM LAWMAKER COULD MEAN CHARGES, SAYS DHS REP: ‘LOOKS LIKE OBSTRUCTION’
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Gov. Maura Healey tour a Boston facility housing over 300 migrant families. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
«HomeBASE, in its current form, is a broken promise,» he said. «Taxpayers are footing a nearly $100 million bill with little transparency, no measurable outcomes and no end in sight. The promise of savings from closing hotel shelters is being quietly replaced with backdoor spending that still lacks accountability.
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«This isn’t a hand-up; it’s a setup for failure.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Healey’s office for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
sanctuary cities,massachusetts,immigration,democratic party,border security,migrant crime
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