A delegation of Vatican officials discreetly left Rome for Beijing. It was late November and the small team, led by Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, were tasked with one of the most delicate negotiations of the current pontificate.

Celli, a retired career papal diplomat, is the man Pope Francis entrusted with managing the Holy See's relations with China's communist government. The 82-year-old Italian prelate negotiated the agreement that was signed in October 2018, and which remains in effect, that allows both the Vatican and China to jointly appoint bishops throughout the Middle Kingdom. And it was under this agreement, that the Holy See Press Office announced January 29 the consecration of a new bishop in Weifang, in the northeastern part of the country. It came just four days after the consecration of the new bishop of Zhengzhou in eastern China.

La Croix has learned that this wave of appointments is expected to continue with the announcement of another new ordination on January 31. This is a remarkable acceleration after months of stagnation and tension. The last bishop jointly approved by both sides --only the sixth since 2018 -- was consecrated in September 2021. Since then, no Catholic official had been appointed jointly by Rome and Beijing. China, which is believed to have between 10 to 12 million Catholics within its borders, had even suspended all dialogue, much to the Vatican's dismay, citing the pandemic as the reason for postponing any bilateral meetings for several months.

Tensions escalated further in November 2022 when China did not seek Vatican consent and appointed an "auxiliary bishop of Jiangxi" in a diocese not recognized by the Holy See. This was followed in April 2023 by a second violation when Beijing announced the assumption of office by a new bishop in Shanghai, also without an agreement. These appointments, which were essentially "transfers" from one diocese to another, had deeply concerned the Vatican.

"This created a lot of tensions," explained a source closely involved in the negotiations. "A third transfer would have amounted to a de facto rupture."

Chinese authorities now consult bishops on new appointments

To ease the situation, Archbishop Celli's small team traveled to Beijing, where they visited both the headquarters of the "Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association" and the Chinese Bishops' Conference, both of which share the same address. Nothing has been disclosed about the content of their discussions, based on an agreement that has never been disclosed. However, a high-ranking official in Rome confirmed, "These meetings have made progress," meaning the appointment of new bishops.

A notable development is that "Chinese authorities now consult the bishops for any new appointment, which was not the case before", explained the same source closely involved in the negotiations. This also allows them to inform Rome about the profile of the future bishop envisioned by Beijing. The Chinese government has also replaced officials responsible for dialogue with the Church with a more "friendly" team, according to several sources.

A climate of détente

This more relaxed climate of détente owes much to the work of Cardinal Stephen Chow of Hong Kong. The 64-year-old Jesuit, who has was appointed head of the Church in this Chinese enclave in 2021 and made a cardinal last October, visited Beijing in April 2023 at the invitation of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. This publicly announced visit was followed, according to our information, by more discreet visits to other dioceses in the country.

"Beijing trusts him. This was not the case with his predecessors," said a Roman source.

When the pope visited Mongolia last September, he stood alongside Cardinal Chow and sent a clear message of reconciliation to the Chinese authorities by offering a "warm greeting" to the "noble Chinese people." Francis then added: "I ask Chinese Catholics to be good Christians and good citizens."

A papal advisor goes to Beijing

Other signs of détente have emerged more discreetly. In July, two journalists close to the Vatican were invited to China by a local news website. This trip could not have happened without the consent of the Chinese authorities, who were aware that one of them worked for Vatican News, the Vatican's official media, while the other wrote for L'Avvenire, the newspaper owned by the Italian bishops.

A few months later, in October, a trip to Rome was noted by the most attentive observers: that of two Chinese bishops who came to participate in the Synod of Bishops' assembly on the future of the Church. Accompanied by their translator, they participated in some of the proceedings at the Vatican. Finally, the Jesuit priest Antonio Spadaro, an official at the Dicastery for Culture and an informal advisor to the pope, visited Beijing in December for Christmas.

Pope Francis, who has made China one of his top priorities, has monitored all these movements quite closely.

"His dream is to go there; he talks about it very often," said one of the people who is a frequent visitor to the Casa Santa Marta, the pope's residence.

But in private, the highest officials of the Holy See -- including Cardinal Pietro Parolin, long seen as one of the main architects of rapprochement with Beijing -- no longer hide their disappointment with the 2018 agreement, admitting that it's "the least bad option".This criticism is particularly strong because several voices on the ground denounce an increase in tensions caused by a government eager to further "sinicize" religions. Observers have told La Croix  that in certain parts of China, the government uses its agreement with the Vatican to exert strict control over Catholics.

"Even in the most open regions, it is not uncommon to see police officers at the entrance of churches to prevent minors from entering," said an expert on Catholicism in the region.

Several bishops are also reportedly missing, according to Asian News International. The most recent case is that of Bishop Pierre Shao Zhumin who was allegedly abducted in early January. This bishop, who had been abducted in the past, is known for consistently opposing China's agreement with the Holy See.