China extends bishops’ appointment pact with Vatican
China has extended its provisional agreement with the Vatican on bishop appointments for four more years, aiming to enhance bilateral relations. Signed in 2018 and renewed twice, the pact allows both sides to collaborate on appointing bishops for China’s estimated 12 million Catholics.
- Asia
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 01:05 | 22 October 2024
- Modified Date: 01:07 | 22 October 2024
China on Tuesday said it had extended by four years a provisional agreement with the Vatican on the appointment of bishops, state media reported.
The two sides "will maintain constructive engagement and dialogue to further improve China-Vatican relations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing.
The pact was signed in October 2018 and has been extended twice, in 2020 and 2022.
Both China and the Vatican have given positive evaluations on the results of this agreement, Lin said.
China has an estimated 12 million Catholic Christians and the pact allows the two sides to name the bishops in the world's second-largest populated country.