Pope Francis Brokers Church Deal with China
October 21, 2016
Pope Francis Brokers Church Deal with China
Pope Francis Brokers Church Deal with China
Representatives from the Vatican and China are expected to meet before the end of the month in Rome in an effort to finalize a deal on the ordination of bishops on the mainland, a move aimed at ending a longstanding dispute, according to Catholic Church sources familiar with the negotiations.
The Church sources also told media that China is preparing to ordain at least two new bishops before the end of the year and these appointments would have the blessing of theVatican. A person with ties to the leadership in Beijing confirmed that these ordinations would go ahead.
For more than six decades, China's ruling Communist Party has strongly opposed Rome's right to ordain Chinese bishops in a bitter contest for authority over as many as 10 million Catholics on the mainland. Bishops, priests and lay Catholics loyal to Rome have faced persecution, which has sparked scepticism over the détente in some Catholic quarters.
http://www.trunews.com/article/pope-francis-brokers-church-deal-with-china
