My comment above is literally a summary from a presentation by the Cardinal Kung Foundation. For decades it was illegal to be Catholic in China and the priests and bishops operated clandestine at great risk of being caught. In place of the Catholic Church the Chinese Communist Party created the Patriotic Association to operate like the Catholic Church using priests and bishops who would break communion with Rome in favor of the local communist government. The “deal” between the Vatican and the CCP attempted to reconcile the two groups to each other in a way that was favorable to both but it did not work out that way.
My comment above is literally a summary from a presentation by the Cardinal Kung Foundation. For decades it was illegal to be Catholic in China and the priests and bishops operated clandestine at great risk of being caught. In place of the Catholic Church the Chinese Communist Party created the Patriotic Association to operate like the Catholic Church using priests and bishops who would break communion with Rome in favor of the local communist government. The “deal” between the Vatican and the CCP attempted to reconcile the two groups to each other in a way that was favorable to both but it did not work out that way.