Vatican and China sign draft accord on appointment of bishops

The Vatican said on Saturday that it and China have signed a historic provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops.

The agreement was signed in Beijing and announced while Pope Francis was visiting Lithuania at the start of a four-day trip to the Baltic countries.

The Vatican said the accord was "not political but pastoral." A Holy See statement did not mention Taiwan, which the Vatican recognizes diplomatically.

In China, the foreign ministry said in a statement that the two sides had signed an agreement to maintain communications and work to improve relations.