In a letter, Pope Francis calls Chinese Catholics to dialogue

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Pope Francis calls on Chinese Catholics to become "artisans of reconciliation". REUTERS / Max Rossi

Four days after the historical agreement between China and the Holy See on the appointment of bishops, Pope Francis wrote a letter to Chinese Catholics. A text in which the pontiff explains the meaning of this rapprochement and shares his desire for reconciliation for the country's Catholics.

With our Vatican correspondent, Eric Sénanque

In May 2007, Benedict XVI was already writing to Chinese Catholics to tell them of his desire for reconciliation within this divided Church. Eleven years later, his successor takes the pen and gives explanations after the agreement of September 22 . In this letter, Francis first seeks to dispel the worries of the Chinese faithful, assuring them of his daily prayer and saluting " their fidelity " despite the " painful experiences " of the past.

Through this text, Francis invites them to not be afraid of the future, despite the uncertainties and wounds of the past. Like his Jesuit predecessor Matteo Ricci, who spread Christianity in China in the sixteenth century, Pope Francis pleaded for dialogue. And for him, the agreement last Saturday is nothing but a fruit of this dialogue. The purpose of the rapprochement with Beijing is " only to realize the spiritual and pastoral ends of the Church, " he writes: to support and promote the proclamation of the Gospel, to achieve and maintain the full and visible unity of the Catholic community in China.

This is the heart of this letter: Francis invites all Chinese Catholics to become " artisans of reconciliation ". An agreement that is not an end in itself but an instrument in the service of a stable collaboration with China. The Church in China, finally recalls the pope, " does not ask for any privilege ": its goal is "to achieve a relationship of mutual respect and deep knowledge ."