Vatican Hopes an Agreement With China Is Within Reach

Cardinal explains "new developments" in Sino-Vatican relations



China's flag is seen as Pope Francis greets the crowd during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican June 15. (CNS photo/Paul Haring

Gerard O'Connell | Aug 27 2016 - 5:15pm

The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, today confirmed that “there are many hopes and expectations for new developments and a new stage in the relations between the Apostolic See and China.”

He affirmed that this would benefit not only Catholics in China and China itself but also contribute to world peace or, as he put it, “benefit an ordered, pacific and fruitful coexistence of peoples and of the nations in a world that like ours is torn by many tensions and many conflicts.”

The Italian cardinal is the Vatican’s top diplomat and the man Pope Francis, five months after his election, chose to be his secretary of state, entrusting him with the goal of normalizing relations between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China. Those relations were broken in 1951 when the communist government led by Mao expelled the pope’s representative.

Now, after more than two years of dialogue between the two sides, Cardinal Parolin confirmed that there are now high hopes in Rome that an agreement with China is within reach. Speaking this morning at a seminary in northern Italy, he gave his most extensive comment yet to explain what is happening and to prepare Catholics worldwide for a development in Sino-Vatican relations that is now on the horizon.

http://americamagazine.org/content/dispatches/vatican-hopes-agreement-china-within-reach