Next Tuesday marks two years since the Vatican signed its accord with China over the appointment of bishops. The deal marked the most significant breakthrough in the restoration of relations between the Holy See and Beijing since ties were broken off in 1951 – and is the most hotly contested act of ­diplomacy of the Francis papacy.

The agreement, due to expire over the next few weeks, looks set to be renewed. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, who has long worked on the Vatican-China relationship, said that both sides intend to keep the agreement; Zhao Lijian, a Chinese foreign affairs spokesman, said last week that the deal “has been implemented successfully”.

The 2018 accord has faced fierce criticism. It highlights the Vatican’s extraordinarily difficult balancing act, pursuing patient dialogue with the leadership of the world’s greatest emerging power while speaking out against its appalling human rights record. The Vatican’s silence on the Chinese Communist Party’s crackdown on religious freedom, ­blatant disregard of its treaty obligations in regard to Hong Kong, destruction of places of worship, and the detention – and worse – of hundreds of thousands of Muslim ethnic Uyghurs in re-education camps has come under fire. Benedict Rogers of Christian Solidarity Worldwide is one of many promin­ent Catholics to have said that Pope Francis has been badly wrong in his handling of China.