Chinese bishops invite Pope

VATICAN CITY: Two Chinese Catholic bishops attending a Vatican meeting for the first time following a landmark deal between Beijing and the Holy See said on Tuesday they have invited Pope Francis to visit.

"While we were here, we invited Pope Francis to come to China," Bishop Joseph Guo Jincai said in an interview with Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference. "We are waiting for him," Guo said.

Last year the pope said he would like to visit China "as soon as they send me an invitation". The trip would be of great significance as the Vatican has not had diplomatic relations with Beijing since 1951.