✣Pope Francis defends deal with China
What happened? Pope Francis defended his deal with China, first to journalists on the papal plane and then in a letter to Chinese Catholics released by the Vatican the next day. He said he took full responsibility for the deal and that, in any such agreement, “both sides lose something” – for him, that was total control of bishops’ appointments. In his letter he said the aim was to “heal the wounds of the past, restore full communion among all Chinese Catholics” and aid the preaching of the Gospel.
