Developments in China-Vatican relations
March 2013
Pope Francis sends a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping, congratulating him on being elected president of China
June 2014
Beijing and the Holy See resume talks for first time since 2010
August 2014
Beijing gives permission for Pope Francis to use Chinese airspace as he flies to South Korea
September 2014
Pope Francis reportedly invites Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit the Vatican to discuss world peace
August 2015
Bishop Zhang Yinlin, who was approved by the Vatican, was ordained by the official church in China in Henan Province, a sign of relieved tension between China and the Vatican
February 2016
Pope Francis sends New Year greetings to China
October 2016
Pope Francis says the Vatican’s relations with Beijing are “good” and he has received a gift from President Xi
December 2016
A bishop “excommunicated” by the Vatican takes part in the ordination of a new bishop in Chengdu
December 2016
China and the Vatican are reportedly “in a final push” on bishop appointments. China’s foreign ministry says China is “sincere about improving relations with the Vatican and has made relentless efforts to this end”
August 2017
Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, chancellor of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences, says Pope Francis “loves China and the Chinese people and their history” during a conference on organ transplantation in China
January 2018
The Vatican criticizes China for its cloning of two monkeys, citing bioethical reasons
March 2018
Chinese Bishop Guo Jincai says negotiations between China and the Vatican have reached the final stages
June 2018
China and the Vatican reportedly in a new round of talks on appointment of bishops; Pope Francis says the Vatican and China “are at a good point”