Pope asks China to show 'trust, courage, farsightedness' in new relationship

World Wednesday 26/September/2018 16:43 PM
By: Times News Service
Pope asks China to show 'trust, courage, farsightedness' in new relationship

Vatican City: Pope Francis urged China's leaders on Wednesday to move ahead with "trust, courage and farsightedness" after Beijing and the Vatican struck a landmark agreement on the appointment of bishops.
In Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said China was sincere about wanting better relations with the Vatican and that the bishops' agreement was an important step forward.
The accord, which critics have called a sellout to the Communist government, gives the Vatican a say in the choice of bishops in China.
It could also be a precursor to restoring diplomatic ties with Beijing after more than 70 years.
The Vatican only has diplomatic ties with Taiwan, China's rival.
In a message addressed to Chinese Catholics, Francis said that while they should be good citizens of their country, they should not shrink from offering "a word of criticism" when necessary to defend human dignity.
China's 12 million Catholics have been split between an underground church swearing loyalty to the Vatican and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association.
The Vatican said the absence of a deal could have led to a schism between Chinese Catholics that would have been difficult to heal.
The pope's five-page message included a section in which he addressed Chinese government leaders directly, saying he wanted to "renew my invitation to continue, with trust, courage and farsightedness, the dialogue begun some time ago".
He said the Vatican would "work sincerely for the growth of genuine friendship with the Chinese people".
With the accord, which both sides have said is provisional and will not be published, the Beijing government effectively recognises the pope as leader of all Catholics in China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang welcomed the agreement, saying: "China is willing to continue to meet the Vatican side halfway and have constructive dialogue, increasing understanding and accumulating mutual trust, to promote the process of continuing to improve relations."