The Chinese Embassy in France tweeted a political cartoon on the day of a contentious visit to Taiwan by U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, which has drawn criticism for its ostensibly anti-Catholic theme.
An painting by Chinese artist and propagandist Wuheqilin depicts a gaunt, hooded, witch-like lady rushing through a nursery window and trying to take a child from its cradle.
The woman is adorned with a ring of stars that is suggestive of the Virgin Mary. An obvious analogy for communism, a strong guy carrying a hammer, watches on.
The caption of the photo further identifies the lady as Pelosi by using the hashtags #Taiwan and #Pelosivisit.
The Chinese title of the image, which reveals a second intended meaning of “Mary, the Baby Thief,” is also included in the tweet.
Pelosi is second only to President Joe Biden in terms of prominence among Catholics in American politics.
Her Tuesday visit to Taiwan, which the United States does not formally recognise as a sovereign state, was the highest-level visit by a U.S. official to the self-governing island in decades, according to the Washington Post.
No one enjoys conflict, but no parent would ever let someone to abduct his child, according to the English text over the picture.
Above the baby’s head, there is a picture of a frog and a map of China on the wall.
Theologian and cultural anthropologist Michel Chambon pointed out that there is precedence for the usage of the image of a frog as a slur to refer to the people of Taiwan in China in an opinion piece for UCA News.
Additionally, he said that Pelosi is shown in the animation as “a witch who seeks to kidnap Taiwan away from its fatherland.”
The artwork is “shockingly ugly, sacrilegious, and extremely insulting to Catholics and many Christians of various faiths throughout the globe,” according to Benedict Rogers, a British human rights attorney who specialises in China.
In a letter to CNA, Rogers said that the incident “is an example of the Chinese Communist Party rule at its most thuggish, immoral, vile and brutal, and signified a clear desire to attack Nancy Pelosi on the basis of her Catholic religion as well as the politics of the issue.”
“This shows the total enmity the Chinese Communist Party rule has against religion, something those of us who follow China have understood for a long time.
Catholics and other Christians have been persecuted more harshly recently, and overall religious freedom has been severely restricted.
The Holy See is still one of only organisations of “global relevance,” according to the UCA News contributor, that maintains diplomatic connections with Taiwan.
While Taiwan asserts independence, China views Taiwan as a part of its territory.
Chambon observed, “Amalgamating US policies with worldwide Catholicism is a simple step for Chinese propagandists with persecution symptoms.
According to Newsweek, the Chinese Ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, has described Pelosi’s visit as a “unnecessary provocation” and said this week that whenever China succeeds in gaining authority over Taiwan, the island’s populace would be “re-educated.”
This would appear to suggest a similar approach to what is now occurring in Xinjiang, where several Uyghur Muslims have been picked up and forced into “reeducation” camps in recent years.
This week, China has been engaging in significant military exercises, some of which have included the firing of huge missiles into the waters near Taiwan.
The post, according to Chambon, a writer for UCA News, “signals a possible return to the early communist doctrine that might injure many” in addition to being disrespectful.
He clarified that the picture may also refer to the “myth” that was spread by the government in the 1950s, according to which “Catholic orphanages were factories to kidnap and murder Chinese newborns.”
Since the official religion of the country’s governing Communist Party is atheism, all types of religious adherents have long endured persecution in China.
The “underground” Catholic Church, which is persecuted and obedient to the pope, and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, which is recognised by the government, make up the Catholic Church in China.
In 2018, the Vatican and the Chinese government negotiated a tentative agreement that has not yet been made public that aims to bring together the state-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the unofficial Church in communion with Rome.
Instead, others claim that persecution of the underground Church has become worse.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, 90, of Hong Kong, a strong opponent of the Vatican-China agreement, will go on trial in September with four other well-known supporters of democracy.
Despite not having diplomatic connections with Taiwan, the United States does have what the State Department refers to as “a vibrant unofficial relationship,” which includes close business links.
The United States has adhered to a “one-China policy” for many years in order to placate the Chinese leadership.
According to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the visit does not indicate a shift in U.S. policy toward Taiwan.
Rogers, a vocal opponent of the Vatican’s 2018 agreement with China on the appointment of bishops, said that the cartoon offers “yet another reason why the Vatican should reassess its relationship with Beijing” due to the Chinese government’s well-known hostility for Catholicism.
Pope Francis has expressed his hope that in October, the Vatican’s agreement with China on the appointment of Catholic bishops would be extended for a second two-year term.
“The Vatican should consider suspending the agreement as the deadline for renewing the agreement with Beijing draws closer in light of the genocide of the Uyghurs, the destruction of Hong Kong’s freedoms, the arrest of 90-year-old Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, the severe persecution of Christians in China, and now this blatant insult to Catholics around the world,” Rogers told CNA.