What happened?
The Vatican has given guarded support to Chinese priests who refuse to register with the government. A new document says that “freedom of conscience must be respected, and therefore no one may be forced to take a step they do not wish to take”.
However, it suggests that, if priests think the registration document contradicts their faith, they could declare in writing or in front of witnesses that they are only signing the document “to the extent it is ‘faithful to the principles of Catholic doctrine’ ”.
