Vatican and China sign draft accord on appointment of bishops
Thomson Reuters
VILNIUS, Lithuania (Reuters) - The Vatican said on Saturday that it and China have signed a historic provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops.
The agreement was signed in Beijing and announced while Pope Francis was visiting Lithuania at the start of a four-day trip to the Baltic countries.
The Vatican said the accord was "not political but pastoral." A Holy See statement did not mention Taiwan, which the Vatican recognizes diplomatically.
In China, the foreign ministry said in a statement that the two sides had signed an agreement to maintain communications and work to improve relations.
(Reporting By Philip Pullella; editing by John Stonestreet)
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