While in Rome for a gathering of the Catholic bishops’ conferences, Chinese bishops could not meet with Vatican officials nor with the Pope. This episode highlights the meticulous control exercised by China state authorities on the local Church.

A couple of Chinese bishops attended the recent meeting of the presidents of the episcopal conferences to mark the tenth anniversary of the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia. Despite their involvement in the event, they were unable to meet with anyone from the Secretariat of State responsible for China, the Secretary of State, or the Pope.

This episode highlights the meticulous control exercised by state authorities, despite the agreement between China and the Holy See. Nothing can deviate from Beijing’s precise directives. Nevertheless, the agreement on the appointment of bishops is functioning, albeit with some hiccups and delays. Following the ordination of Giuseppe Chang Yanfeng in Chifeng (Inner Mongolia), the following were consecrated as bishops: Francesco Saverio Duan Yongkun in Bameng (Chifeng), Paolo Liu Honggang in Datong (Shanxi), Andrea Ding Wang in Chongqing (Sichuan), and Ignatius Ding Zuaying in Hefei (Anhui).

The Catholic blessing of the U.S. president may backfire as the Church distances itself from the show and grows warier of a presidency keen on using religious symbolism for electoral ends.

On Thursday, October 22, twelve Catholic bishops attended a meeting with the White House Faith Office at the invitation of the Heritage Foundation. Several Catholic members of the Trump administration joined them. After the meeting, the bishops were escorted to the Oval Office, where President Trump was waiting for them. They gathered around him for a moment of prayer.

Shortly thereafter, the White House posted a video online showing the bishops praying with Trump, which gave the impression that the bishops were endorsing President Trump’s Republican candidates ahead of the midterm elections scheduled for November 3. These elections will play a crucial role in determining the composition of Congress and the course of the next two years of the Trump presidency.

After the video went viral, causing considerable embarrassment among American Catholics and the bishops’ leadership, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a brief.