ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis said on Friday that China was "a promise and a hope" for the Catholic Church, offering extensive praise for Beijing at the end of a four-nation tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania, and again expressed hope to visit the East Asian country one day.

Francis' comments during an in-flight press conference en route home from Singapore came as the Vatican enters into the final weeks of negotiations to renew a 2018 agreement over the contentious issue of bishop nominations.

Premium + Digital Edition

Ad-free access


P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
  • Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
  • Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)

TRY FREE FOR 14 DAYS
See details
See details