Father Michael Agliardo
China, the Vatican, and the Struggle to Control Religion in China: Significance of the Sino-Vatican Accord - getting on the road momentarily...
On October 11, the Sociology Department’s Visiting Scholar, Father Michael Agliardo, Director of the US-China Catholic Association, spoke about the recent accord on episcopal appointments between Rome and Beijing. He addressed questions such as, Did Rome sell out? Was the Pope naïve? Was the deal a necessity? Was it a step toward genuine dialogue? He shared perspectives regarding Catholicism in China and what sense to make of The Deal.
This summer Father Agliardo led a study tour of China, where participants met with cardinals, bishops, underground church members, and ordinary Catholics from Hong Kong to Beijing. In Beijing, he also met with Chinese social scientists, journalists, and other academics affiliated with Renmin University (the school of the Chinese Communist Party). Then in Rome he met with various participants in the negotiations between the Holy See and China. He had hosted two of the bishops recently reconciled to the Holy See when they visited Loyola University Chicago in 2015.
Father Agliardo earned his Ph.D. in sociology at U.C. San Diego and most recently was assistant professor at Loyola University Chicago. The US-China Catholic Association was founded in 1989 through the collaboration of the U.S. Bishops, Maryknoll, the Jesuits, and a number of other U.S. religious congregations.