Rumours of a deal between the Vatican and the People’s Republic of China – a reconciliation between the world’s most populous nation and the world’s largest single religious organisation – have hardened. The Chinese government-controlled media are reporting that the Holy See and Beijing are willing in principle to exchange ambassadors, and that the schism between the unofficial Catholic Church faithful to Rome and the government-approved Patriotic Catholic Church, which is ultimately controlled by the Communist Party, would then come to an end.

The position of Catholic bishops is crucial. Some are approved by the government but not the Vatican, some the other way round, and some by both.