Vatican, China Sign Historic Accord On Appointment Of Bishops - Holy See

Vatican and Beijing signed on Saturday a provisional accord on the appointment of bishops in China after severing their diplomatic ties almost 70 years ago, the Vatican said in a communique.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd September, 2018) Vatican and Beijing signed on Saturday a provisional accord on the appointment of bishops in China after severing their diplomatic ties almost 70 years ago, the Vatican said in a communique.

According to the communique published by the Vatican News, Monsignor Antoine Camilleri, the Holy See's undersecretary for state relations, held a meeting with Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Chao in Beijing.

"During that meeting, the two representatives signed a Provisional Agreement on the appointment of Bishops," the communique said as quoted by the news outlet.

The Holy See and China broke off diplomatic relations in 1951 and have not officially resumed them yet. Prior to Saturday's agreement, China appointed bishops within the country without any consultations with Vatican.