Pope Francis praises China, hopes to normalize relations

Pope Francis' exclusive interview with Asia Times about China has been hailed as a positive sign of the Vatican moving closer to normalized diplomatic relations with China.

The pope's praise towards the nation is the strongest sign of the pontiff's objective to use his political and personal influence to transform the historically fraught relations between the Holy See and Beijing.

One of the duties of the Catholic Church is to respect all civilizations, the pope said. He added that China has always been a reference point of progress, a great country, and a country with inexhaustible wisdom, as reported by Asia Times.

The interview was published on Tuesday, and the pope's opening remarks set the tone for the exchange. Back in September, Pope Francis told journalists that he would like to visit china. He has long been known to be an admirer of the world's most populous nation. However, no pope has ever done so throughout the history of Roman Catholicism.

Shortly after China's Communist Party came to power in 1949, the Holy See and Beijing cut off diplomatic relations. The tension between the two groups continued, with the Vatican experiencing difficulties in appointing bishops to the church that remains faithful to Rome. In recent years, there have been no signs of warming relations.

In 2014, Pope Francis was allowed to fly through Chinese airspace going to South Korea. The pope admitted that he felt very emotional, something that does not usually happen to him. He added that he was moved to be flying over a great richness of culture and wisdom.

In his interview, the pope did not miss the opportunity to send a customary telegram to the head of China, President Xi Jinping. The pope extended his best wishes for the Chinese New Year to the president and all the people living in China.

On Wednesday, Lu Kang, China's foreign ministry spokesman said that the government of China was aware of the pope's recent remarks. According to Reuters, Lu said that China has always been sincere about improving Sino-Vatican ties, and have made many efforts in this matter.