After “appropriate consultation and assessment”, the two sides agreed to extend the “provisional” agreement for a further two years. The Holy See is ready to continue a mutually respectful and constructive dialogue with a view to advancing the mission of the Catholic Church and the well-being of the Chinese people.
(Vatican News Network) “The Holy See and the People’s Republic of China, after due consultation and evaluation, have agreed to extend the validity of the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops, signed on September 22, 2018 and first renewed on October 22, 2020, for a further two years”. The Holy See Press Office said so in a statement issued on 22 October.
The announcement continued: “The Vatican is willing to continue a mutually respectful and constructive dialogue with the Chinese side in order to implement the above-mentioned agreement productively and to further develop bilateral relations to promote the mission of the Catholic Church and the well-being of the Chinese people.”
In an interview with Reuters in July, Pope Francis hoped to renew the agreement in October. Referring to the appointment of bishops, he said, “the agreement is going well”, even if it is “slowly”, “because the Chinese have a sense of time and no one can rush them”. The Pope added that “they also have their own problems” because the authorities in each region treat the Catholic Church differently and “the situation is different in each region”.
On that occasion, the Pope referred to Cardinal Agostino Casaroli’s hardships in his diplomatic work. The cardinal, the mastermind of the Vatican’s eastward policy, spoke of “the martyrdom of endurance”. The Pope explained, “Many people have said a lot against John XXIII, Paul VI and Casaroli. But diplomacy is like that. Faced with a closed situation, you need to find a way to work, although not ideal. “Diplomacy is the art of the possible way, making the possible a reality.”
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