MUNICH (UCAN): Vatican secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, and Chinese foreign minister and state counselor, Wang Yi, met at the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany, to reaffirm the willingness of both sides to continue executing the September 2018 provisional deal on the appointment of bishops in what was the highest-level meeting between the two states for 70 years.
News of the occasion public through a communiqué of the Holy See’s Secretariat of State, issued by the Holy See Press Office on February 14.
It related that the two parties held a discussion that “took place in a cordial atmosphere.”
Vatican News quoted the communiqué as saying that they discussed the contacts that have taken place between the states “which have developed positively over time.”
The communiqué added that the two sides renewed their “willingness to continue the institutional dialogue at the bilateral level to promote the life of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people” and expressed “a desire for greater international cooperation” to foster peace in the world and “considerations on intercultural dialogue and human rights were exchanged.”
Cardinal Gallagher and Wang Yi also touched on the Covid-19 epidemic that has impacted much of mainland China.
Vatican News reported that Pope Francis prayed for all those affected by the coronavirus in his General Audience on February 12. He invited the faithful “to pray for our Chinese brothers and sisters” who are affected by the “cruel” coronavirus epidemic and expressed the hope that all affected by the illness might “find a path to recovery as soon as possible.”
