CHINA DEAL COMES UP
Leo greeted each of the cardinals individually as they left the meeting, which was held in the same small Vatican auditorium where the cardinals had been gathering in the days before the conclave to discuss who should be the next pope.
Czech Cardinal Dominik Duka said one topic that came up was the situation of Catholics in communist China.
The Vatican and China in 2018 signed a controversial deal on the appointment of bishops in the country, which gives Beijing some input into their selection.
Conservatives have attacked the still-secret deal as a sell-out, but Duka told Reuters it was necessary to keep a dialogue open in places where the Church is oppressed, comparing it to dialogue between the Vatican and eastern European countries during the Cold War.
German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, who openly clashed with Francis on issues concerning Catholic moral teaching, told Reuters that Saturday’s encounter was “very good and harmonious.”
To be elected as pope during the May 7-8 secret conclave at the Sistine Chapel, Leo required a two-thirds majority of 89 of the 133 voting cardinals.
Madagascar Cardinal Désiré Tsarahazana told Reuters that Leo received more than 100 votes at the final ballot on the afternoon of May 8.
