Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See's permanent observer to the United Nations Photo: AICA

Vatican’s dialogue with China and Pope Francis’ realism

In the last six years, also marked by a period of rare contact in relations between the parties during the pandemic, nine new Catholic bishops have been ordained in China. In the same period, eight so-called «non-official» bishops, ordained in the past outside the procedures imposed by the Chinese apparatus, have asked for and obtained public recognition of their function also from the political authorities in Beijing

Communist China recognizes 94-year-old Catholic bishop Melchiorre Shi Honghzen

In the latest development of the Agreement between China and the Holy See, authortities recognise the ‘underground’ prelate long under arrest for refusing to join the Patriotic Association as leader of the local Catholic community. Archbishop Celli had met him two years ago and presented him with a pectoral cross in the name of Francis. Today’s ceremony was held in a hotel and not in the cathedral to reaffirm aappointment’s civil rather than canonical character.