Chinese Catholics mourn Pope Francis, mull Church's future

But under Francis, China and the Vatican signed a 2018 agreement allowing both Beijing and the Holy See a say in appointing bishops in an attempt to close the schism in China's 12-million-strong Catholic community. "For the first time, the Chinese government recognised that a foreign power, the pope, has the right to say something when it comes to the administration of Chinese Catholics," Chambon said. The Vatican "compromised much" to secure the agreement while the ruling Communist Party "took it as a victory for effectively reducing the underground church", said Fenggang Yang, the director of the Center on Religion and the Global East at Purdue University.