Pope Benedict XVI had initiated the feast day as part of his efforts to unify China’s estimated 12 million Catholics, who were divided between an official, state-controlled church that didn’t ...

“China expresses condolences for the passing of Pope Francis,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said matter-of-factly on April 22, when asked for comment at a daily news briefing.

But when it comes to China, where he is hoping his church will make inroads, Francis is much more forgiving. The pope’s delicate — critics say doormat — diplomacy in the region was ...

Pope Francis sent greetings to China on Sunday, calling its citizens a "noble" people and asking Catholics in China to be "good Christians and good citizens," in his latest overture to the ...

Pope Francis meets a group of faithful from China at the end of his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 18, 2018.

In 2018, under Pope Francis, the Vatican brokered a deal with China that granted Rome’s approval to the bishops Beijing had picked. The provisional agreement was renewed in October 2024.

Pope Benedict XVI had initiated the feast day as part of his efforts to unify China’s estimated 12 million Catholics who were divided between an official, state-controlled church that didn’t ...

Pope Leo XIV asked Sunday for prayers for China’s Catholics to be in communion with the Holy See, as he made his first public remarks about one of the thorniest foreign policy issues facing his ...

ROME — Pope Leo XIV asked Sunday for prayers for China’s Catholics to be in communion with the Holy See, as he made his first public remarks about one of the thorniest foreign policy issues ...