earticle

영어

China and the Vatican temporarily signed diplomatic relations from 2018 to 2020, and are currently negotiating a temporary diplomatic extension. The result is still secret, and it has to do with complicated diplomatic relations. The underground church issues are intricately intertwined with Taiwan’s diplomatic relations and human rights issues. Among them, the core of the diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the Chinese government is the right to appoint bishops. As far as China is concerned, since the establishment of a socialist country, bishops have been elected by themselves. However, since the right to appoint a bishop is the right of the pope, it can be said that the Vatican cannot tolerate it. During the establishment of temporary diplomatic relations from 2018 to 2020, the pope recognized eight Chinese bishops, and the conflict over the appointment of bishops has temporarily ended. However, it seems obvious that the right to appoint bishops is still the key to negotiations for the temporary expansion of diplomatic relations. By reviewing the negotiation process for the appointment of bishops in China and the legal system related to the appointment of bishops in China, I hope this article can understand the position of China and the Vatican, the nature and meaning of the negotiations, and predict the direction of future negotiations.