Angelus News | February 23, 2024 | Vol. 9 No. 4

A study in contrasts
When it comes to repressive Communist regimes, why is the Vatican’s
diplomatic approach to China and Nicaragua so different?
BY ELISE ANN ALLEN
A demonstrator holds a crucifix during a protest
against Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s
government in Managua May 15, 2018. | OSV/
OSWALDO RIVAS, REUTERS
ROME — Imagine that two different
governments are engaged in
crackdowns against the Catholic
Church, including putting priests and
bishops in jail, limiting or even expelling
religious orders, and subjecting
Catholic organizations of all stripes to
tight vigilance and control.
In the abstract, one might think that
since the offenses are similar, the Vatican
response would be the same, too.
Yet the reactions of Pope Francis and
his advisers to Nicaragua and China
reveal contrast rather than continuity.
With Nicaragua, the Vatican’s criticism
has been clear, constant, and
increasingly acerbic; when it comes to
China, such pushback has been conspicuous
mostly by its absence.
In the end, the explanation for this
contrast probably lies not in moral analysis
but geopolitics: China is a superpower
and Nicaragua isn’t. Bluntly put,
Francis needs to stay in Beijing’s good
graces far more than Managua’s.
Pope Francis has spoken out on Nicaragua
several times this year. On New
Year’s Day, he prayed for Nicaragua,
“where bishops and priests have been
deprived of their freedom,” assured the
families and friends of those imprisoned
of his closeness and prayer, and
voiced hope “that the path of dialogue
will always be sought to overcome
difficulties.”
A week later, in an annual speech to
diplomats, he said the situation in the
country “remains troubling: a protracted
crisis with painful consequences for
Nicaraguan society as a whole, and in
particular for the Catholic Church.”
“The Holy See continues to encourage
a respectful diplomatic dialogue for
the benefit of Catholics and the entire
population,” he said. Shortly after, Bishop
Rolando Álvarez of Matagalpa, who
had spent more than a year in prison,
and 18 others were released from prison
and exiled to Rome, where they were
welcomed personally by Vatican Secretary
of State Pietro Parolin as official
guests of the Holy See.
When it comes to China, on the other
hand, Francis and his aides have been
much quieter. Nothing was said when
pro-democracy protests erupted and
were quickly quashed in Hong Kong
between 2019 and 2020; when a new
national security law was imposed in
the city which was used to arrest and
24 • ANGELUS • February 23, 2024