The Vatican on Tuesday announced another "provisional agreement" with China, an officially atheist country, to address a 70-year-old dispute over China's appointment of Catholic bishops.
The agreement, the contents of which weren't revealed, gives the Pope the power to appoint Catholic bishops assigned to China. It is valid for two years. Insiders in Rome said the deal provided that new Catholic bishops for dioceses in China would be proposed to the Vatican by the China government after consultation with that country's bishops' conference and Catholics in areas concerned.
The Pope will then make a final decision on whom to appoint. This power also gives the Pope veto power.
Pope Francis recognized eight bishops appointed by China without his approval. He also appointed two new bishops.
A statement from the Vatican said the deal "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."
The agreement has been praised by the Vatican as a signature achievement of Pope Francis. He had made resolving the question an important diplomatic aim of his papacy.
"Today, for the first time after decades, all the bishops in China are in communion with the Bishop of Rome," said Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The Vatican calls the agreement part of the "dialogue" between the two involving "patient listening on both sides even when people come from very different standpoints," said Greg Burke, director of the Holy See Press Office.
Catholic Church law mandates only the Pope can name bishops. The Code of Canon Law says it is the Pope who "freely appoints bishops or confirms those legitimately elected."
The deal replaces the original provisional agreement with China signed Sept. 22, 2018. Before this the communist government in China gave itself the power of episcopal appointments after 1949.
Communist China organized a state-controlled "Patriotic Catholic Association" whose bishops are appointed by the Communist Party of China. Catholics loyal to the church in Rome were forced underground and persecuted by the communists.
There are 12 million Catholics in China - which has a population of 1.4 billion. The Vatican is one of fewer than 20 countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
