Parolin says Vatican-China talking

(ANSA) - Rome, March 11 - Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin said Wednesday that talks with China were "ongoing".
    "There is a willingness to talk, a dialogue that knows its rhythms, its times, and which we hope will lead to some results," he said after delivering a speech on peace.
    Parolin was responding to Italian media reports on Tuesday that Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun reportedly complained that the Curia does not fully understand China's antagonism towards the Catholic faith.
    In January, a 2015 work plan released by the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) said that China intends to consecrate new bishops without authorization from the Vatican or Pope Francis.
    The plan is supported by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and the Chinese Episcopal Conference, both under Beijing control.
    China and Vatican City do not have diplomatic relations, and an editorial that recently appeared in China's English-language Global Times, which is linked to the Communist party, claimed that relations between the two nations would take "a step backwards" if Pope Francis were to meet with the Dalai Lama.
    Pope Francis has said that he plans to meet with the exiled Tibetan leader at an unspecified future date.