The meeting “renewed the will to pursue the institutional dialogue at a bilateral level to foster the life of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people.”

Father O’Connor is the first non-Mexican to lead the order that was founded in 1941 by the Mexican priest, the Rev. Marcial Maciel. Benedict XVI removed Father Marcial from public ministry in 2006, after finding him guilty of sexually abusing minors, and ordered him to spend the rest of his life in prayer and penance.

Pope Francis’ much awaited exhortation on the Pan-Amazonian synod will be released on Feb. 12.

“I hope the supplies could reach where they are needed as soon as possible, so that people who are suffering the disease could feel the concern from the Holy See,” Father Han told the Global Times. “The whole world is standing together to fight the virus.”

“The pope is an Argentinian concerned for his fatherland and for his people. He loves the Argentinians very much.”

Francis has known him since 2006, when as archbishop of Buenos Aires he heard about his work with street children and drug addicts and contacted him.