With the Vatican-China deal on the appointment of bishops due to expire in October, Cardinal Pietro Parolin hopes that the agreement can be tweaked.

In the third part of a sit-down interview with CNA, the Vatican Secretary of State discussed the deal, the text of which has never been published. But he did not go into detail or explain precisely which aspects he hoped to change.

He also spoke about the Vatican’s close interest in Vietnam, the Balkans, and the Caucasus region. (In Part 1 of the hourlong interview, he addressed the Vatican’s efforts to end the Ukraine war and, in Part 2, the reform of the Roman Curia.)

The Holy See first signed the provisional agreement with China in September 2018. The agreement had a two-year term and was renewed for another two years in October 2020, with no adjustments or amendments.

Since it was put in place, there have been six ordinations of Catholic bishops in China with the twofold approval of the Holy See and the Chinese government. The terms of the agreement have never been disclosed.

With the expiration date approaching, Parolin said: “We are reflecting on what to do. COVID did not help us because it interrupted the ongoing dialogue. We are trying to resume the dialogue concretely, with meetings that we hope will occur soon. We will reflect on the results of the agreement and possibly on the need to make clarifications or review some points.”

Asked if he would like to tweak the agreement, the 67-year-old Italian cardinal replied: “I hope so.”

Read more at Catholic World Report