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=== Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China ===
{{Anchor|Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China on the appointment of Bishops}}
On 22 September 2018, the Holy See and the [[People's Republic of China]] signed a two-year "Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China on the appointment of Bishops", set to expire on 22 October 2020. According to the communiqué released by the [[Holy See Press Office]], the Provisional Agreement aimed to create "conditions for great collaboration at the bilateral level."<ref>{{Cite web|date=22 September 2018|title=Communiqué concerning the signing of a Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China on the appointment of Bishops|url=https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2018/09/22/180922d.html|url-status=live|website=press.vatican.va|publisher=Holy See Press Office|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930005507/http://press.vatican.va:80/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2018/09/22/180922d.html |archive-date=30 September 2018 }}</ref> This was the first time that an agreement of cooperation has been jointly signed by the Holy See and China. The exact terms of the Provisional Agreement have not been publicly released but people who are familiar with the agreement stated that it allowed for the Holy See to review bishop candidates recommended by the government-sanctioned Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) prior to appointment and consecration.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Rocca|first1=Francis X.|last2=Dou|first2=Eva|date=2018-09-22|title=Vatican and China Sign Deal Over Bishops, Allowing Pope a Veto|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/vatican-and-china-agree-deal-over-bishops-allowing-pope-a-veto-1537613087|issn=0099-9660}}</ref> The Provisional Agreement granted veto power to the Holy See when reviewing the bishop nominees that the CPA has put forward. [[
While the agreement is viewed by the Holy See as an opportunity to increase their presence in China, many thought that it diminished the Holy See's authority over the local church because it shared decision making powers with an authoritarian government. [[Cardinal Joseph Zen]], former archbishop of Hong Kong, strongly opposed the deal, stating that the agreement is an incredible betrayal of the Catholics in China.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sherwood|first=Harriet|date=2018-09-22|title=Vatican signs historic deal with China – but critics denounce sellout|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/22/vatican-pope-francis-agreement-with-china-nominating-bishops|url-status=live|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922163137/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/22/vatican-pope-francis-agreement-with-china-nominating-bishops |archive-date=22 September 2018 }}</ref> As a response to the criticism, Pope Francis wrote a message to the Catholics of China and to the Universal Church on 26 September 2018 to provide context on how to view the Provisional Agreement.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Horowitz|first1=Jason|last2=Johnson|first2=Ian|date=2018-09-22|title=China and Vatican Reach Deal on Appointment of Bishops|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/22/world/asia/china-vatican-bishops.html|access-date=2021-04-17|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Pope Francis recognized that the Provisional Agreement is experimental in nature and will not resolve other conflicts between the Holy See and China, but it will allow for both parties to "act more positively for the orderly and harmonious growth of the Catholic community in China."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-09-26|title=Message of the Holy Father to the Catholics of China and to the Universal Church|url=http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2018/documents/papa-francesco_20180926_messaggio-cattolici-cinesi.html|url-status=live|website=www.vatican.va|publisher=The Vatican|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191204053100/http://www.vatican.va:80/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2018/documents/papa-francesco_20180926_messaggio-cattolici-cinesi.html |archive-date=4 December 2019 }}</ref> China, on its part, also positively views the agreement, stating that it is willing to "further enhance understanding with the Vatican side and accumulate mutual trust, so that the momentum of active interaction between the two sides will continue to move forward."<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-02-15|title=Wang Yi Meets with Foreign Minister Paul Gallagher of the Vatican at Request|url=https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/t1745361.shtml|url-status=live|website=www.fmprc.gov.cn|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200320194744/https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zxxx_662805/t1745361.shtml |archive-date=20 March 2020 }}</ref> Despite strong opposition from the [[White House]] and conservative Catholics, the Holy See and China extended the Provisional Agreement.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Winfield|first=Nicole|date=2020-10-22|title=Vatican, China extend bishop agreement over US opposition|url=https://apnews.com/article/beijing-china-pope-francis-europe-vatican-city-5c5f822b98317f1bb5002887e383473f|url-status=live|website=AP NEWS|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023040119/https://apnews.com/article/beijing-china-pope-francis-europe-vatican-city-5c5f822b98317f1bb5002887e383473f |archive-date=23 October 2020 }}</ref>
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