Pope Leo XIV made his first appointment of a Chinese bishop under the Vatican’s 2018 agreement with Beijing, signaling he is continuing one of Pope Francis’ most controversial foreign policy decisions.

Peace among nations is a necessary precondition for any solution to the climate change crisis. Instead, we have a renewed arms race and a mad dash for exhaustible natural resources.

For Pope Francis, Matteo Ricci is not so much a figure of the past but rather “a prophetic figure” who nourishes the hope of encounter today—in China and around the world.

In an exclusive interview with Gerard O’Connell, Cardinal Chow discusses the renewal of the Vatican-China deal, signs of growing trust between the two parties and the Communist Party’s push to “sinicize religion.”

The Vatican and the Chinese government are renewing their agreement on the appointment of bishops for four years.

On Aug. 27, 2024, Bishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen was officially recognized as the bishop of the Diocese of Tianji, after the Chinese government refused to recognize him for five years.