Pope Francis continues to keep his eyes on China, expressing his desire to go to the country.
When asked by fellow Jesuit Peter Chia from the Chinese Province of the Society of Jesus, where in Chine he would like to go, the pope immediately answered “Well, to the Mother, to Sheshan.” Should this wish come true, the pope said he would like to meet with the Chinese bishops as well.
These statements of the pope are not new. He has said it on several occasions. Even the Vatican Secretary of State shared them with the press at the end of June, saying that the pope wanted to go to China, but the conditions were not in place at the moment.
As for the Vatican-China agreement on the appointment of bishops, which was signed for the first time in 2018, Cardinal Parolin also assured that it will be renewed at the end of the year.
In his recent interview, the pope did not only talk about China. He was also asked about the criticism and resistance he has received during his pontificate.
“Well, sometimes you have to wait, hold on. And many times, you have to correct yourself. Behind a resistance, there can be a good criticism,” he said.
“And also with pain because, sometimes, the resistance, as it happens at the moment, is not only against me; it is against the church. For example, there is a group, a few people, who only recognise up to Pius XII and the popes after him no longer.”
With these words, Francis referred to those known as “sedevacantists” and assured that with time these groups will be integrated.