Pope Francis Beijing China

Pope Francis' envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, had "open and cordial" talks in Beijing with a Chinese government official on the need to find ways to peace in Ukraine, the Vatican said on Thursday.

A secretive deal between the Vatican and Beijing is up for renewal later this year as concerns grow about China's rights record and its tightening grip on churches and clergy.

Opening the church door in Baihanluo reveals a large portrait of Pope Francis - something of a paradox in an ethnically Tibetan area of Communist China.

Pope Francis' envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, had "open and cordial" talks in Beijing with a Chinese government official on the need to find ways to peace in Ukraine, the Vatican said on Thursday.

A secretive deal between the Vatican and Beijing is up for renewal later this year as concerns grow about China's rights record and its tightening grip on churches and clergy.

Opening the church door in Baihanluo reveals a large portrait of Pope Francis - something of a paradox in an ethnically Tibetan area of Communist China.