The Chinese government has proposed a joint cooperative arrangement with the Vatican regarding the appointment of Catholic bishops, according to the Global Times.
Under the purported proposal, future bishop candidates in China may be selected in each parish and reported to the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC) and the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), which will contact the Vatican for consecration, if consensus could be reached between the two sides.
Alternatively, there will be at least two candidates for bishop from each parish and the BCCCC shall offer references when recommending candidates to the Vatican, which will then consecrate the chosen bishop.
The state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA), a division of the government's Religious Affairs Bureau, is reportedly expecting the Vatican's reply to the proposals by the start of next year.
An unnamed source, according to the Global Times, said: "The Vatican seems to hope for more agreements beyond bishop ordination, such as cancelling the CCPA. But that doesn't appear likely."
A joint approach to new episcopal appointments may be an indication that China wants to break the current impasse with Rome. As things now stand, China maintains that it has the sole authority to appoint its bishops, while Rome's position is that bishops can only be appointed by the Pope. China severed diplomatic relations with the Vatican in the 1950s.
The Catholic Church in China is split between the government-recognized institution run by the CCPA and an "underground" community of Catholics that professes full fidelity to the Pope, according to the Catholic Herald.
Lately, it seems that the strained relations between the Vatican and China have been on the mend since President Xi Jinping assumed office. In August, Pope Francis was permitted to fly over China's air space during his South Korea visit. As he did, the Pontiff sent a message to Xi, saying, "Upon entering Chinese air space, I extend best wishes to your Excellency and your fellow citizens and I invoke the divine blessing of peace and well-being upon the nation."