Vatican sought Xi-Pope meeting in Kazakhstan, China declined: Source

A meeting between the two men, however brief, would have been historic.

Speaking to reporters accompanying him on his flight to the Central Asian republic on Tuesday, Pope Francis was asked whether he might meet Mr Xi in its capital. He replied coyly:"I don't have any news about that," without elaborating.The pope has tried to ease the historically poor relations between the Holy See and China, and told Reuters in an interview in July that he hoped to renew a secret and contested agreement on the appointment of Roman Catholic bishops in China.

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