(SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST) — Pope Francis has cancelled a meeting with the US’ top diplomat as it prepares to renew a deal on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China.
The Holy See told US diplomats that the Pope’s planned meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had to be cancelled because it might be seen as a sign of support for US President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported on Sunday.
But Pompeo’s criticism of the Vatican’s continued talks with Beijing might have also been a factor, according to José Miguel Encarnação, a Macau-based commentator on religious affairs.
