China’s state-sanctioned Catholic church has branded Pope Francis a “Western stooge” and criticized Vatican–Beijing agreements as threats to national sovereignty.
Underground congregations are now pressing for unity despite strict party surveillance, while hardline officials accuse the late pontiff of meddling in Chinese religious policy.
Human rights groups condemn the broader crackdown on Christians, even as experts like Michel Chambon praise Francis’s diplomatic reset with Beijing.
With the next papal selection looming, Chinese Catholics face a pivotal choice between state control and underground solidarity.
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