The Vatican urged China's communist government on Saturday to engage in constructive dialogue to ease tension and achieve full diplomatic relations and a normal life for the Roman Catholic Church there.
A Vatican statement issued after a two-day meeting on how to deal with China, where authorities do not allow Catholics to recognise the Pope's authority, also said Pope Benedict would be writing a personal letter to the Catholics of China. The statement was a clear olive branch by the Holy See to Beijing's communist government after months of conflict over the appointment of bishops.
"The many contributions of the participants expressed the will to proceed in a respectful and constructive dialogue with the (Chinese) authorities to overcome the misunderstandings of the past," the Vatican said.
Since his election in April 2005, Pope Benedict has made normalising relations with China one of the political and pastoral priorities of his papacy. The Vatican statement did not say when he would write the letter to China's Catholics.
The meeting, chaired by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, also concluded that "almost all" bishops and priests in China were loyal to the Pope, in contrast to the official position of their government.
It said China's Catholic community was growing and assured Beijing, which in the past has accused the Vatican of interfering in internal affairs, that the Church wanted to be an active contributor to the well-being of all Chinese people. Beijing and the Vatican severed ties after the Communists came to power in China in 1949.
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