Pope Leo prays for China’s Catholics, a thorny issue in his papacy | Religion News

Ties with China remain sensitive within the Catholic Church over a 2018 deal between the Holy See and Beijing.

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV has asked for prayers for China’s Catholics in his first reference to one of the most contentious issues that the Catholic Church and his papacy face in the arena of geopolitics.

Speaking on Sunday from the window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, the pontiff recalled the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, which falls each May 24 – a feast…