China and the Vatican agree to extend an agreement on appointing bishops

BEIJING (AP) — China and the Vatican have agreed to extend a provisional agreement on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four more years. The 2018 agreement had been extended twice previously. It was an attempt under Pope Francis to bridge long-standing differences over control of the church in China. The Vatican’s relations with China were severed more than seven decades ago when the Communist Party came to power. The 2018 deal sought to find a middle ground, although Rome has acknowledged it was a bad deal and the only one it could get.