Since the communists took over China, the Catholic Church and the Chinese government have been at odds with one another and official ties have been severed in 1951.
While efforts have been done in the past to reconcile both parties, Pope Francis is now currently considering pardoning eight "Catholic" bishops appointed by the Communist Party of China to lead the party's version of the Catholic Church called "Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association" as a sign of goodwill for negotiations.
At least 10 million Catholics are in China at the present time and they are split into two: the Communist Catholics and the Roman Catholics currently ridiculed by the communist Catholics as the "underground Church." Rome has never recognized the eight bishops selected by the party as representatives of the Catholic Church, and as such, have always been at odds with the country.
According to Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi, "The aim of the contacts between the Holy See and Chinese representatives is not primarily that of establishing diplomatic relations, but that of facilitating the life of the Church and contributing to making relations in ecclesial life normal and serene."
China is willing to undergo negotiations with the Vatican in its end according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressing that it should be done "on the basis of the relevant principles, to continue having constructive dialogue with the Vatican side, to meet each other halfway and jointly promote the continued forward development of the process of improving bilateral ties."
It is also the hope of China, as noted by the ministry, that "The Vatican can likewise take a flexible and pragmatic attitude and create beneficial conditions for improving bilateral relations."
Although there are lingering sentiments regarding the talks and its impact in both sides, the spokespersons of both sides confirmed that negotiations are in progress but did not detail as to the current status of the talks.
