From confrontation to dialogue: Evolution of China and Vatican relations

The article analyzes the evolution of relations between the Vatican and the People’s Republic of China from the second half of the twentieth century to the early twenty-first century in the context of the transformation of China’s state religious policy. It demonstrates that despite deep ideological and institutional contradictions, the two sides gradually moved from a logic of open confrontation toward the formation of a limited but negotiating framework. This shift began with the Reform and Opening period under Deng Xiaoping and was institutionalized through Document no. 19 and the 1982 Constitution of the PRC, which recognized religion as a social phenomenon to be managed rather than eliminated.

Special attention is paid to the institutionalization of dialogue in the 1980s – 1990s, the role of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, and the emergence of the underground Church as a consequence of disputes over autonomy and episcopal appointments. The article examines party and state documents that defined the conditions of interaction with the Vatican, emphasizing political loyalty and rejection of foreign control.

The core analytical focus is on the concept of the “Sinicization of religion,” developed under Xi Jinping as a framework for adapting religious organizations to socialist society with Chinese characteristics. The article shows how this concept became the language of compromise and the basis for negotiations with the Holy See. In this context, the 2018 Provisional Agreement on the appointment of bishops is analyzed as both a breakthrough and a highly limited compromise.

Based on post-2018 practice, the author argues that relations have entered a stage of “managed conflict,” in which fundamental contradictions are not resolved but are incorporated into stable procedural interaction. The Vatican – China case thus illustrates the limits of religious universalism under conditions of strong state sovereignty and ideological control, as well as the Vatican’s capacity to adapt its diplomatic strategies to unfavorable political environments.

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