Guo Jiakun

China expresses condolences over the passing of Pope Francis, said Guo Jiakun, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, on Tuesday during a routine press briefing.

In recent years, China and the Vatican have maintained constructive engagement and conducted useful exchanges. China stands ready to work with the Vatican for continued improvement of China-Vatican ties, said Guo.

Pope Francis died on Monday at the age of 88, multiple media outlets including AFP and Reuters reported, citing the Vatican.

He had recently survived a serious bout of double pneumonia, Reuters reported.

Pope Francis' funeral will be held on Saturday in St. Peter's Square, Roman Catholic cardinals decided on Tuesday, setting the stage for a solemn ceremony that will draw leaders from around the world, per Reuters.

US President Donald Trump said he and his wife would fly to Rome for the service.

Reuters quoted a source saying other heads of state that will attend the service include Javier Milei, president of Francis' native Argentina, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

When asked whether the Chinese government plans to send a representative to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, Guo Jiakun said currently he has no information to share at the moment.

Regarding a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops reached between China and the Vatican in 2018, a reporter asked on Tuesday whether China is open to deepening cooperation with Vatican.  

In response, Guo said that i n recent years, China and the Vatican have maintained constructive engagement, and conducted useful exchanges. The provisional agreement regarding the appointment of bishops between China and the Vatican is smoothly implemented. China stands ready to work with the Vatican for continued improvement of China-Vatican ties.

During Pope Francis' tenure as the head of the Catholic church, China and the Vatican signed a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops in September 2018, the Xinhua News Agency reported in 2018.

On October 22, 2020, China and the Vatican decided to extend that agreement for another two years, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at the time.

Global Times