Vatican sought Xi-Pope meeting in Kazakhstan, China declined—source (Reuters)

A Vatican source told Reuters that Chinese officials declined a Vatican overture for a meeting between Pope Francis and President Xi Jinping, who were in Kazakhstan at the same time.

“The Chinese side said they ‘appreciated the gesture’ but that there was no free time on Xi’s schedule,” according to the report.

This is not the first time that the Pope and President Xi have been in the same city on the same day and did not meet. On September 24, 2015, Pope Francis addressed a joint session of Congress in Washington, DC, and Xi arrived in Washington for a state visit.