In the yet-to-be-approved deal "the pope would accept eight bishops ordained by the Chinese government without the Vatican's permission. But the deal would leave many other issues unresolved, including the role of China's state-run Catholic institutions * * * [as well as] the legal status of underground Chinese bishops loyal to Rome * * * The agreement would also mean the end of Vatican approval for ordinations of underground bishops, meaning that all new leaders of the Catholic hierarchy in China would be men acceptable to Beijing.
"The agreement would allow Chinese authorities to present a set of candidates for the role of bishop of a particular diocese. The pope would then choose among the candidates or reject all the options and demand fresh names. The Vatican would demand the freedom to investigate candidates’ backgrounds thoroughly as a condition for their approval.