Pope gets the Chinese seal of approval in St Peter’s Square

Pope Francis greets the faithful from China as he arrives for his weekly general audience at St Peter’s Square. The scenes unfolded amid mounting speculation that Beijing and the Vatican are close to an agreement on the appointment of bishops in China.

Such a deal could lead to the resumption of diplomatic ties which were severed almost 70 years ago. China first broke off diplomatic ties in 1951, and many Catholics were forced to go underground during former communist leader Mao Zedong’s rule, emerging only in the 1980s when religious practices were tolerated. Catholics in China face the choice of attending state-sanctioned churches approved by Beijing or worshipping in underground congregations.