(LifeSiteNews) — A new bishop approved by Pope Leo XIV for the state-run “Catholic” church in China once wrote a poem lauding the Communist Party.
The newly consecrated bishop of Datong, then-Father Paolo Liu Honggang, “spontaneously” composed the poem for the celebration of the party’s 100th anniversary in 2021:
With youthful resolve for the centennial, we hoist our sails and set out on a new voyage. May we be as verdant as Daquanshan, and may the azure waves of tomorrow be boundless.
Honggang is the seventh bishop in China whom Leo has thus far appointed under the China-Vatican deal.
The officially secret Sino-Vatican deal, signed in 2018, is believed to recognize the state-approved church in China and allows the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to appoint bishops. The pope apparently maintains veto power, although in practice it is the CCP that has control. It also allegedly allows for the removal of legitimate bishops to be replaced by CCP-approved bishops.
The deal was renewed most recently in 2024 for a four-year period.