Politics
Georgia's shark-owning billionaire tells voters: Don't risk war with Russia
Georgia's saviour. Russia's stooge. Philanthropist. Oligarch. Bidzina Ivanishvili has been called all these things, and more.
China and the Vatican have agreed to extend an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for a longer period of four years, Beijing said on Tuesday.
The deal has never been published, but only described by diplomatic officials © Mena Today
China and the Vatican have agreed to extend an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for a longer period of four years, Beijing said on Tuesday.
The Vatican struck a landmark deal with the Beijing government in 2018. The agreement, which was previously renewed every two years, gives Chinese officials some input into who Pope Francis appoints as bishops in the country.
The two sides will continue to hold talks in a constructive manner and improve relations, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a press briefing.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Vatican.
Conservative Catholics have criticized the agreement as handing over too much control to China. Cardinal Joseph Zen, 92, who served as bishop of Hong Kong from 2002-09, has been among the most vocal critics.
The Vatican says the accord resolves a decades-long split between an underground church swearing loyalty to the Vatican and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association.
The deal has never been published, but only described by diplomatic officials. The Vatican says the pope retains final decision-making power in appointment of Chinese bishops.
Speaking last month at the end of a tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania, Francis said the results of the 2018 deal "are good".
"I am happy with the dialogue with China," the 87-year-old pontiff said. "We are working with good will."
Reporting by Liz Lee in Beijing and Joshua McElwee in Vatican City
Georgia's saviour. Russia's stooge. Philanthropist. Oligarch. Bidzina Ivanishvili has been called all these things, and more.
Republican former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, will face each other in the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.
President Maia Sandu said on Monday Moldovans had won a "first battle in a difficult fight" for their future, a day after a slim majority of 50.46% backed EU accession in a referendum that was clouded by allegations of Russia-backed meddling.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.