Yellen says isolationism 'made America and the world worse off' in speech to global finance leaders
AP: Initial toxicology results show Liam Payne had cocaine in his system when he died
GE Aerospace raises 2024 profit forecast on strong demand for aftermarket services
Tropical Storm Oscar swirls toward the Bahamas after hitting Cuba as a hurricane
UN agency head calls for temporary truce in northern Gaza
Hybrids top petrol power for first time in EU new car sales, ACEA says
Kimberly-Clark trims sales forecast as consumers shift to cheaper options
‘I’m so happy!’: Neymar returns from ACL injury after more than a year on the sidelines
Lamar Jackson’s monster game helps Ravens beat Bucs, last-second FG lifts Cardinals over Chargers: NFL Week 7 Monday review
BEIJING (Reuters) -China and the Vatican have agreed to extend an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in the communist country for a period of four years, the two parties 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.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson first announced the renewal at a press briefing in Beijing. The Vatican confirmed the move in a statement, saying it "remains dedicated to furthering the respectful and constructive dialogue" with China.
Conservative Catholics have criticised 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.
In Tuesday's statement, the Vatican said it was hoping for "further development of bilateral relations for the benefit of the Catholic Church in China and the Chinese people as a whole".
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; Writing by Joe Cash and Keith Weir; Editing by Alvise Armellini, Angus MacSwan and Ros Russell)
