Vatican, China sign agreement over bishops, allowing Pope Francis a veto

Details of the agreement weren't made public, but people familiar with the matter said it allows the pope to veto new nominees for bishops proposed by Beijing

The Vatican and the Chinese government signed an agreement on the appointment of bishops in China, ending a decadeslong struggle over who chooses the leaders of Catholicism in the world’s most populous country, but leaving major tensions in their relationship unresolved.

The “provisional agreement” was signed Saturday in Beijing by Msgr. Antoine Camilleri, the Holy See’s undersecretary for relations with states, and Wang Chao, China’s deputy minister for foreign affairs, the Vatican said in a statement.

Details of the agreement weren’t made public, but people familiar with the matter ahead of the signing said that it allows the pope to veto new