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China declines Xi-Pope Francis meeting in Kazakhstan, Vatican source says
- Beijing turns down Vatican’s ‘expression of availability’ because Chinese president’s schedule is full, according to source
- The two sides are involved in a delicate dialogue over the status of the Catholic Church in the country
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The Vatican told China that Pope Francis was willing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping while both leaders were in Kazakhstan’s capital, but China said there was not enough time, a Vatican source said on Thursday.
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The source gave no details on how or when the Vatican approached China, with which it is involved in a delicate dialogue over the status of the Catholic Church in the country.
The source said the Vatican made “an expression of availability”. The Chinese side said they “appreciated the gesture” but that there was no free time on Xi’s schedule.
Both the pope and Xi were in Nur-Sultan on Wednesday. Xi was there for an official visit and the pope was there to attend a congress of world religious leaders.
A meeting between the two men, however brief, would have been historic.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Kazakhstan on first trip abroad since pandemic began
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Kazakhstan on first trip abroad since pandemic began
Speaking to reporters accompanying him on his flight to the Central Asian republic on Tuesday, Francis was asked whether he might meet Xi in its capital.
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