Vatican foreign minister: Results of agreement with China 'not terribly impressive' (America)

Commenting on the 2018 provisional agreement with China on the appointment of bishops, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States said in an interview that “the balance sheet, I suppose, is not terribly impressive. We’ve had six episcopal appointments, and there are some others in the pipeline.”

“If we can work successfully with the Chinese authorities on the appointment of bishops, then that obviously helps both parties to begin to examine other questions as well,” Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher added. “I think the Chinese are in agreement that there should be a gradual raising of the level of direct contact between us.”

Commenting on the May arrest of retired Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, Archbishop Gallagher said, “I think his arrest was something that for us was very surprising, and we hope that the matter can be resolved satisfactorily in the near future.”

Asked to comment on current Hong Kong Bishop Stephen Chow’s concerns about the decrease of religious freedom there, Archbishop Gallagher said that “the Holy See is committed to the defense of religious freedom. If the bishop feels that the space for Hong Kong Catholics is diminishing, we obviously regret that.”