China and the Vatican extended a secretive deal regarding the appointment of bishops in the communist country.

Under the agreement, which has never been made public, the Vatican and Beijing agreed jointly to appoint bishops but Pope Francis has the final say.

The deal was signed in September 2018 and is still provisional but has been renewed twice.

"The Vatican Party is committed to continuing a respectful and constructive dialogue with the Chinese Party for a productive implementation of the Accord and further development of bilateral relations, with a view to fostering the mission of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people," the Holy See Press Office said on Saturday. 

Two churches, one country

The Vatican views the agreement as a necessary compromise to keep Chinese Catholics united.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who serves as secretary of state, said since its implementation, the deal has allowed for "important steps toward the progressive healing of the wounds inflicted" on the church in China.

The country is home to about 10 million Catholics, split between the state-sanctioned church and an underground church loyal to the pontiff.

Normally, the pope has the only say in the appointment of bishops, but Parolin said the church "decided to continue along this path not under the illusion of finding perfection in human rules, but in the concrete hope of being able to assure Chinese Catholic communities, even in such a complex context, of the guidance of pastors who are worthy and suitable for the task entrusted to them.''

Pope takes 'long view' on China 

Critics of the deal point out that only six new "underground bishops" have been appointed since the deal was first struck and that China has increased restrictions on religious freedom for Christians and other minorities. 

Cardinal Joseph Zen, a retired bishop of Hong Kong, said the deal is a sell-out to the communist authorities.

Zen is on trial over the alleged use of a charity fund for pro-democracy protesters and critics have accused the Vatican of not doing enough to defend him in public. He pleaded not guilty.

In a July interview with the Reuters news agency, Pope Francis acknowledged that the deal "is going slowly" but added that the church needed to take the long view in China and that an imperfect dialogue was better than no contact at all.

Last month, the Vatican tried to arrange a meeting between President Xi Jinping and the pope while both leaders were in Kazakhstan, but China declined.

lo/sms (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)