Believe me, it's a huge betrayal of the faithful underground Catholics (speaking as a Catholic), who have been suffering persecution for decades. It's a way of

Believe me, it's a huge betrayal of the faithful underground Catholics (speaking as a Catholic), who have been suffering persecution for decades. It's a way of asserting government control over the Church in China, which is antithetical to freedom of religion. For the Vatican to agree is a watershed moment in the history of the Church, and not in a good way.