Washington D.C., Nov 27, 2018 / 17:07 pm
Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng called the Vatican's pact with China over the selection of bishops "preposterous" in a sharp critique of the Sino-Vatican agreement published Monday.
The September agreement is "a slap in the face to millions of Catholics and other faithful religious people in China who have suffered real persecution under the CCP," Chen wrote in an essay on Public Discourse Nov. 26.
Chen, a blind lawyer, was imprisoned for his pro-life advocacy against forced abortions and sterilizations under China's former "one child policy." His dramatic escape from detention in 2012 led him to gain asylum through the American embassy in Beijing, eventually going on to serve as a visiting fellow at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C.
"I grew up under this Party-State system and personally experienced the Communist Party's violence and brutality, and I have known and worked with countless individuals in China who have been persecuted for their beliefs," Chen wrote.