The Catholic community has been reassured by The Holy See that its needs are well represented and will be catered amidst the ongoing Sino-Vatican dialogue between Beijing and the Holy See, according to a statement released by the Vatican on Tuesday.

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For a long while, Catholics in China have had to deal with a lot of mixed emotions in regard to the appointment of new bishops in Beijing. The fact that Bishop Paul Lei Shiyin had been ordained without papal approval and had been allowed to attend and celebrate the mass of two of the three recent episcopal ordinations in China had triggered concerns.

Another cause of worry for the Chinese Catholic community is the fact that Beijing had involved itself in the Ninth Assembly of Representatives of Chinese Catholics scheduled on Dec. 26 to 29. They argued that such move indicated that China holds the power over the Catholic community and not Rome.

The Tuesday statement issued by the Vatican Press Office said that the Vatican would work with the facts before they could make a decisive opinion on the matter, as reported by Asia One.

"The Vatican is certain that all Catholics in China are waiting with trepidation for positive signals that would help them have trust in the dialogue between civil authorities and the Holy See and hope for a future of unity and harmony," the statement read.

According to The National Catholic Review, the community is of the belief that Beijing wants the Holy See to acknowledge Bishop Shiyin and seven other illegally ordained bishops as part of the bridging gap between the two. The Holy See, however, stated that the move is "still under study."

"The presence of a bishop whose canonical position is still under the study by the Apostolic See following his illegitimate ordination has created unease among those involved and perturbation to Chinese Catholics," the Holy See said.

Tagschina, Beijing, Catholic religion, Vatican, China-Vatican relations