China and the Vatican have agreed to extend an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in the communist country for a period of four years, the two parties said on Tuesday.
The Vatican struck a landmark deal with the Beijing government in 2018. The agreement, which was previously renewed every two years, gives Chinese officials some input into who Pope Francis appoints as bishops in the country.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson first announced the renewal at a press briefing in Beijing. The Vatican confirmed the move in a statement, saying it "remains dedicated to furthering the respectful and constructive dialogue" with China.
Conservative Catholics have criticized the agreement as handing over too much control to China. Cardinal Joseph Zen, 92, who served as bishop of Hong Kong from 2002-09, has been among the most vocal critics.
The Vatican says the accord resolves a decades-long split between an underground church swearing loyalty to the Vatican and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association.
The deal has never been published, but only described by diplomatic officials. The Vatican says the pope retains final decision-making power in appointment of Chinese bishops.
In Tuesday's statement, the Vatican said it was hoping for "further development of bilateral relations for the benefit of the Catholic Church in China and the Chinese people as a whole."
Speaking last month at the end of a tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania, Francis said the results of the 2018 deal "are good."
"I am happy with the dialogue with China," the 87-year-old pontiff said. "We are working with good will."
