Pope Francis, Cdl Parolin joining key CCP bishop in notable Sino-Vatican conference

Shanghai's Bp. Shen comes as a representative of the Communist state, and leads the national bishops' group which rejects Rome's authority.

VATICAN CITY (PerMariam) — Fresh on the news that the Vatican aims to renew its secretive deal with Beijing later this year, as broken by this correspondent, Pope Francis and Holy See officials will join controversial Chinese figures at a high-profile Vatican conference on China next week, billed as a major event.

On May 21, Rome’s Pontifical Urban Unive…