Melissa chan welcome to news asia thank you for joining us the Catholic Church has renewed a deal it made 2 years ago with china which is an officially atheist communist state concerning bishops there the agreement now gives the pope a file say over the appointment of them but beijing is the one who gets to come up with the choices chinese authorities had previously selected bishops without the say of the vatican and a division formed between state sanctioned clergy and underground bishops who operated outside state control the former bishop of Hong Kong Cardinal joseph dan has spoken up about this a prodemocrat he has expressed concern over the churchs engagement with china heres the interview with cardinal to china and the facts occurred recently renewed a secretive agreement signed 2 years ago it allowed the. With beijing and the holy c. S. A. In appointing bishops in china salma Hong Kong Bishop Cardinal Joseph sand accused the secretary of state cardinal pyra lynn of betraying the