Former Conservative party leader, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, has called on the Catholic Church to take a tougher stance on China.
Speaking at the latest Catholic Union Pub Talk, sponsored by the Catholic Universe Weekly, Sir Iain said he “could not understand” why Pope Francis and the Vatican were not prepared to call out human rights violations in China, including the persecution of Christians and people of other faiths.
The former Cabinet Minister said that the Chinese Communist Party “hates us [Catholics], hates all religions, and anyone who tries to stop them having complete control”.
He described the Catholic Church as the “senior” Christian denomination in China and therefore said that we had a duty to lead on this matter, something he said he had raised with Cardinal Vincent Nichols.
Benedict Rogers, founder and Chief Executive of Hong Kong Watch, also spoke at the packed event at the Morpeth Arms in London. He asked Sir Iain about the Vatican’s deal with China on the appointment of Bishops.
Sir Iain thought that the secretive nature of the deal “set a very bad precedent” and said that if the Vatican had nothing to hide then they should publish the details.
The event was the Catholic Union’s first Pub Talk of the year, following on from the success of these informal guest speaker events last year. Future events can be found here.
Catholic Union Deputy Director, James Somerville-Meikle, comments: “In this General Election year it is even more important that people are given the chance to hear from Catholics in public life. Well informed lay Catholics are the best advocates are our faith. On an issue like China and Christian persecution, where our Bishops have found it hard to speak out, it is even more important that the voice of the laity is heard.
“It is clear from the number of people who came along that what is happening in China is something which may people care deeply about. Having space for constructive discussion in the Church is vital and helps us all become better disciples and witnesses for our faith.”
