Hong Kong bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan unveiled that Pope Leo XIV expressed his desire to follow in his predecessor's footsteps in regards to maintaining and developing ties with Chinese authorities on the progress of the Catholic church in China.
In an article in the Catholic newspaper, Sunday Examiner, on Thursday, Chow spoke on such details two days after a meeting with the Pope held in the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
According to the article, the meeting's agenda aimed to examine the current situation of the Chinese church and the Vatican's improved relationship with the state authorities.
Chow claims the Pope's priority is to continue good and respectful dialogue with China and that he values differing perspectives on the mainland church.
Having had prior experience in the country, and meticulously investigated multiple sources on the situation as well as the Sino-Vatican agreement, the pontiff has gathered great insight helping him to see the fuller picture.
After a historically long divide between the underground church, loyal to the Vatican, and state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the Holy Father believes the provisional agreement that came into effect in 2018 was key to bridging the gap and making progress with the mainland.
The agreement made allowed the appointment of bishops to be regulated through a joint process however, details of the agreement was never made public. It is alleged that the Chinese government are the one to select a candidate of their approval and then is vetted by the Vatican.
The agreement was revisited in 2020, 2022 and October 2024.
