Pope accused of ‘betraying Jesus Christ’ over possible deal with China that will allow the Communist government to select bishops

China’s most senior Catholic has blasted the Pope for a potential rapprochement between the Vatican and Beijing comparing it to striking a deal with Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin.

Cardinal Joseph Zen, the former bishop of Hong Kong, said any agreement the church makes with China would be ‘betraying Jesus Christ’ amid a thaw in more than six decades of bitter relations.

The state-controlled China Catholic Patriotic Association still controls the church and controversially appoints bishops without any input from the Vatican meaning sermons could be marred with rhetoric from the Communist Party.