Pope Leo’s China dilemma – The Catholic Thing

Paul P. Mariani, First Things

Monday, December 22, 2025

There is good news and bad news about the Vatican’s policy of engagement with the People’s Republic of China. The good news is that the Vatican is talking to China. The bad news is that the Vatican is talking to China. The Vatican knows it cannot simply ignore the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It has governed China since 1949, and its current hold over the country seems secure. Furthermore, China is both the world’s second-largest economy and the second most populous country.