China and the Vatican reached a deal, labeled as a "provisional agreement," on the appointment of bishops in Catholic churches in China. Both parties had representatives present in the signing of the deal and also praised it as a "historic breakthrough" in the history of China-Vatican relations.
The Vatican issued a statement, saying that the People's Republic of China and the Holy See have been working toward a framework through meetings with each other. America Magazine reported that both sides have been discussing these matters for some time now, with emphasis on promoting an understanding from both within the Church and in China, and to satisfy each other's interests.
The deal was signed in Beijing. Present during the signing was Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, Undersecretary for the Holy See's Relations with States, and Deputy Minister Wang Chao of the Foreign Affairs department for the People's Republic of China. It was witnessed by various people from both delegations from the Vatican and China.
The agreement, according to reports, had been agreed upon following a lengthy deliberation on what provisions both countries see as fair. It is also subject to subsequent evaluations even long after it has been brought into application.
With this, the Holy See finally has a role in the decision of appointing bishops Formerly, China's Catholics are subject to two organizations, though both are in good standing with the Holy See-a Vatican-appointed organization and the Catholic Patriotic Association, a Roman Catholic organization created for the 12 million Catholics in China by the government.
With this, Reuters said, the pope is hoping that "old wounds" will be healed, and that all Chinese Catholics will finally join a "full communion." It also means that all bishops in China, whether appointed by the state or by the Holy See, will be recognized, regardless. All bishops in China, according to the report, will be in "communion" with the pope, who is also recognized as the Bishop of Rome.
Some bishops had been earlier appointed from China by the Holy See, but they have been said to cede their authority to bishops which had been appointed initially by Beijing. In the future, however, new bishops will be presented to both parties, where the names of the bishops under consideration will be sent to the Vatican. The pope will then have the final say on who will be appointed.
As for the deal, various sources from the Vatican said that it will not be published, for the time being. It will be viewable and reviewed for fine-tuning in the near future, however.
