The Extremely High Stakes of the China-Vatican Deal

A new era for the Catholic Church in China began this past fall when Pope Francis signed off on a historic “provisional agreement” with the People's Republic of China over the appointment of bishops in China. The accord broke a nearly 70-year impasse between Beijing and the Vatican. At the end of September the pope also gave an in-flight interview on the agreement and issued a message to the Catholics of China and the universal church explaining his reasons for making this bold step.