Guests - Ava Chen, Dave Smith

The Vatican's Conclave and the CCP: A Hidden Global Power Struggle

China Watch Wednesday focused on the film "Conclave" and its eerie timing with the real-world papal selection process following Pope Francis's passing. The film, which portrays the secret process of selecting a new pope, has become unexpectedly relevant as the actual College of Cardinals begins their deliberations.

"Conclave is exactly what's happening now in the world," noted Kathleen Winn. "This movie almost looks like it was written and scripted, and now we're living it out with Pope Francis having just passed away."

Released in October 2023, the film grossed over $118 million worldwide on a $20 million production budget. It depicts factional struggles within the Vatican as cardinals select a successor to the papacy.

"The movie spent a lot of time talking about internal fight between factions," explained Ava Chen from the New Federal State of China. "But I want people to think about the deeper message of the movie."

Chen pointed out the movie's surprising ending, which features the election of a Mexican-born bishop who later reveals he was born in a woman's body. This controversial plot twist, Chen argues, isn't accidental but reflects a deliberate agenda.

"This is where the dangerous agenda is. The movie has a very hidden message testing the conservative view of the Catholic Church," Chen explained. "Whoever created the movie is pushing this crisis to the front for people. This is not a coincidence."

Chen connected this to what she sees as a broader pattern: "The communists and the globalists are pushing us and fundamentally changing the way of our life because they have designed what they want to see for the entire world."

The Real Conclave and Alleged Chinese Communist Party Influence

The discussion shifted to the actual conclave now underway at the Vatican, with Chen citing a Political report claiming cardinals are watching the "Conclave" movie for guidance on the actual process.

"According to this report, they're saying that because Pope Francis took the throne in 2013, and majority of those people who are going to be in the conclave, 80% of them actually are appointed by Pope Francis," Chen stated. "They have never experienced a conclave before. So they basically using this movie as a training manual."

Chen painted a picture of a broader global power struggle, with a small group of elites seeking to reshape humanity and control key power centers: "They have to identify the existing power sources—how the world runs and where the power comes from. They understand the power comes from the most powerful country in the world, United States. It comes from the White House, Wall Street, Silicon Valley, the tech oligarchs, and Hollywood."

The most explosive claim came when Chen discussed an alleged secret deal between the Vatican and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). According to Chen, in 2018, the Vatican signed a two-year deal with the CCP worth $1.6 billion annually, which has since been renewed multiple times with increasing payment amounts.

"What did Vatican and Pope Francis sell? What did they sell in order to get $1.6 billion, later on $2 billion, from the Chinese Communist Party?" Chen asked.

Time magazine was cited as reporting that when Pope Francis died, China delayed its official response by 24 hours, simply stating: "China expresses condolences for the passing of Pope Francis. In recent years, China and the Vatican have maintained constructive contacts and carried out beneficial exchanges."

Chen characterized this response as "not religious" and "not in support of the Catholic doctrine," but rather "a business deal."

The CCP's Religious Control in China

The discussion turned to how the CCP approaches religion within China's borders. While China's constitution technically allows for freedom of religious beliefs, Chen explained that in practice, the government maintains tight control over religious activities.

China recognizes five official religions, with Catholicism being one of them. However, Catholics are only allowed to practice a state-monitored version of their faith. There exists a faction known as "underground Catholics" who choose to affiliate with the Vatican rather than the state-controlled church. Chinese authorities have reportedly harassed this faction, detaining some members and closing their churches.

"In China, we have something called Patriotic Catholic Church Association," Chen explained. "It was established by Mao Zedong, who is the most notorious mass murderer of the 20th century."

Chen described how the CCP controls religious practice: "They appoint their own bishops. In the church right now, instead of putting the cross, they put Xi Jinping's portrait. They rewrite Bibles. This is how they destroy your faith."

According to official figures, China has about six million Catholics, with an estimated additional six million underground church members.

Allegations of Influence Operations and Benedict XVI's Resignation

Chen made the explosive claim that the CCP played a role in Pope Benedict XVI's unexpected resignation in 2013, which paved the way for Pope Francis.

"Have you ever seen a Pope that resigned when he is still healthy?" Chen asked. "In the 2000 years of Catholicism, it's only happened a couple of times. In the last 600 years, there's only one person resigned in good health – Benedict XVI."

Chen claimed that whistleblower Miles Guo stated: "The communists, the Chinese communists did it. Things will come out eventually and it will be huge. It will shock the world."

After Francis became Pope in 2013, Chen alleges there was a shift toward more progressive positions aligned with globalist agendas: "Critical race theory, DEI, abortion, gender equality, decriminalization, reproductive health...the de-legitimization of divorce and condemnation of death penalty...all of this, you see things are changing."

Chen also claimed that Pope Francis sent former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who was later removed from the priesthood due to sexual abuse allegations, to negotiate with the Communist Party "numerous times."

"Pope Francis sent him to negotiate with the Communist Party numerous times, three times. And Theodore McCarrick visited China at least on records eight times," Chen stated, suggesting the CCP may have blackmailed McCarrick.

The Importance of the 2025 Conclave

Chen emphasized the critical importance of the current conclave, framing it as a pivotal moment in a larger spiritual battle.

"This 2025 conclave is so important in terms of which side is winning. Is the side of the light winning or the side of darkness winning?" Chen asked.

She concluded with a call for prayer: "I would tell everyone that believes in God and prays, whether you're Catholic or not, pray for good to prevail. If that [the Catholic Church] is compromised, we have very dark days ahead of us."

Pima County Board of Supervisors Meeting: Property Taxes and Public Safety

In the second segment, Dave Smith joined to discuss the previous day's Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting, which he described as "an eternal meeting" dominated by ceremonial proclamations rather than substantive governance.

"By the time it came time for call to meeting at like 10:30, it was deserted. It was me and four Republicans and then a few other angry people," Smith recounted. "It's just really become a circus."

A major concern raised was the board's proposal to build tiny homes for homeless women in downtown Tucson. Smith expressed skepticism about this approach: "If I hadn't fought sex trafficking for like the last 15 years, I might say, oh, that sounds like a great idea. Except why would you put women downtown in these little homes that are like bathroom size and think that you're not going to have a den of prostitution?"

Winn added: "We do have a homeless problem. We've had a homeless problem since I was in my 20s. But at the end of the day, we don't solve the core issue that causes the problem."

Smith also noted the stark contrast between the board members' backgrounds and their responsibilities: "You have either activists or academics, educators on our board, except for one small Tucson businessman. And Steve Christie ran a car dealership. The difference between a small business person and an academic is an academic lives in a serial world with no consequences."

Federal Funding Issues and Property Tax Increases

The discussion shifted to a serious financial issue facing Pima County: the federal government is withholding $51 million due to the county's failure to properly track how it spent previous federal funds related to immigration.

"Pima County received around $117 million federal dollars. And they didn't vet the money. There was no tracking of the money," Winn explained. "This is the Katie Hobbs playbook where you just take a bunch of government money and don't be accountable for it."

With this federal funding now in jeopardy, the county supervisors are proposing to raise property taxes to make up the difference. This comes shortly after voters rejected Proposition 414, which would have raised taxes for similar purposes.

"We just voted down 414 because why? We didn't want more taxes. But yet Pima County in their infinite wisdom thinks, oh, if they do it, since the city didn't do it, that'll be okay," Winn noted.

Support for Oro Valley Police Department

The final topic covered was an upcoming Oro Valley City Council meeting where the Oro Valley Police Officers Association would be seeking support in their contract negotiations.

"Oro Valley is a safe community. It's probably we joke about that between Oro Valley and Sahuarita who's the safest. Oro Valley usually wins. Why would you not want to maintain that and provide that kind of support for your law enforcement agency?" Winn asked earlier in the show.

Smith explained that the police department was facing challenges with a new city manager from the Chicago area who was not honoring previous commitments made to the department.

"These people are relatively low paid relative to the other agencies in our area. And it's an outstanding police department," Smith noted. "Those of you who live in Oro Valley, you have to understand part of the quality of your life is the security you get from these law enforcement professionals."

Both Winn and Smith encouraged listeners to attend the Oro Valley City Council meeting that evening at 5 PM at 11000 North La Cholla Boulevard to show support for the police department, suggesting people wear blue as a sign of solidarity.

"Public safety is not an optional thing. Public safety is a requirement," Winn emphasized. "And so for you not to support them in every way possible, it puts the citizens at risk."