Vatican announces deal with China on bishop appointments
Says it hopes for greater bilateral collaboration
Vatican City: The Vatican announced Saturday it had reached an historic accord with China on the appointment of bishops in the Communist country which has so far named its own officials to a sole Beijing-recognised Catholic church.
A Provisional Agreement on the appointment of Bishops was signed Saturday in Beijing by the Holy See and the People's Republic of China. https://t.co/YU6maTADpK
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) September 22, 2018
The agreement follows "a gradual and reciprocal rapprochement (and) has been agreed following a long process of careful negotiation and foresees the possibility of periodic reviews of its application," the Vatican said in a statement issued as Pope Francis visits the Baltic states.
#PopeFrancis sets off Saturday morning from Rome’s Fiumicino airport to begin his Apostolic Journey to the Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. pic.twitter.com/N0PkotImFo
— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) September 22, 2018
"It concerns the nomination of Bishops, a question of great importance for the life of the Church, and creates the conditions for greater collaboration at the bilateral level," it added.