China and the Vatican have agreed to extend the agreement on the appointment of bishops for another four years. The announcement was made public by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian.
This agreement was first signed in 2018 but renewed only every two years. The document is not public but it confronts a central issue—the appointment of bishops.
Not all of the clandestine church accepted this agreement but in the Vatican they have always chosen to dialogue with Xi Jinping’s government. They call it the policy of small steps, with which it is hoped that one day a pontiff will be able to set foot on Chinese soil.
The population of Catholics in China is not very high. It is estimated at 14 million people, a figure equivalent to 0.01 per cent of the entire population of the country.