The Negotiation Process of the Appointment of Bishops between China and the Vatican and the Legal System of the Appointment of Bishops in China
2020년 9월, 중국과 바티칸은 2018년에 있었던 잠정합의를 2년 더 연장하기로 의견의 일치를 보았다. 주지하고 있듯, 중국과 바티칸의 관계 정상화를 위한 협상과정에 있어 가장 중요한 핵심 사안은 바로 주교임명과 관련된 것이다. 그런데 중국은 1958년 이래 자선자성(自选自圣)의 원칙 아래 자체적으로 주교를 선출해 왔었고, 최근 에는 「종교사무조례」로 대표되는 종교관련 법률에 근거하여 종교에 대한 통제를 강화해 왔었다. 그리고 중국은 바티칸과의 협상 가능성을 천명한 2005년부터 최근까지 주교선출 관련 법규를 개정하거나 새로이 제정 해오고 있다. 본고는 중국·바티칸 수 교협상의 현안과 쟁점을 살펴본 뒤, 수교협상의 핵심 사안인 주교임명과 관련된 중국의 법률을 살펴보고자 한다. 이는 비공개적으로 진행되었던 중국·바티칸 협상의 성격과 향후 협상의 과정을 이해하는데 도움이 되리라 기대된다.
China and the Vatican temporarily signed diplomatic relations from 2018 to 2020, and are currently negotiating a temporary diplomatic extension. The result is still secret, and it has to do with complicated diplomatic relations. The underground church issues are intricately intertwined with Taiwan’s diplomatic relations and human rights issues. Among them, the core of the diplomatic relations between the Vatican and the Chinese government is the right to appoint bishops. As far as China is concerned, since the establishment of a socialist country, bishops have been elected by themselves. However, since the right to appoint a bishop is the right of the pope, it can be said that the Vatican cannot tolerate it. During the establishment of temporary diplomatic relations from 2018 to 2020, the pope recognized eight Chinese bishops, and the conflict over the appointment of bishops has temporarily ended. However, it seems obvious that the right to appoint bishops is still the key to negotiations for the temporary expansion of diplomatic relations. By reviewing the negotiation process for the appointment of bishops in China and the legal system related to the appointment of bishops in China, I hope this article can understand the position of China and the Vatican, the nature and meaning of the negotiations, and predict the direction of future negotiations.