Vatican City - Pope Benedict on Thursday invited four bishops from China to take part in a synod next month, in what could herald a new phase in the strained relations between the Vatican and Beijing.
If some or all of the bishops are allowed to travel to Rome, their trip would represent a major thaw in decades of often icy relations between the Holy See and the communist government, which does not allow its Catholics to recognise the Pope.
The four were on a list of prelates from around the world that the Pope had named to be members of the Oct 2-23 synod.
The Vatican named the four as Anthony Li Duan of Xian, Luke Li Jingfeng of Fengxiang, Aloysius Jin Luxian of Shanghai and Joseph Wei Jingyi.
Two of the bishops, Li Duan and Jin, were appointed by the government from the state-backed Church and their appointments later tacitly recognised by the Vatican, as their appearance on Thursday's list showed.
China refuses to allow the Vatican to appoint its bishops, saying this would amount to interference in its internal affairs.
Beijing does not allow Catholics to recognise the authority of the Pope. Instead, they must belong to a state-backed church known as the Catholic Patriotic Association.
A third bishop on Thursday's list, Li Jingfeng, had been a member of the underground Church loyal to the Vatican but was later recognised by the Chinese government. A fourth, Wei, remains a member of the underground church and has not yet been recognised by the government.
If allowed to travel to Rome, it would be the first time that Chinese bishops have attended a Roman Catholic synod, according to Father Bernardo Cervellera, editor of AsiaNews, a Rome-based Catholic news agency and an expert on Catholicism in China.
NO DIPLOMATIC TIES
China has not had diplomatic ties with the Vatican since 1951, two years after the Communist takeover.
The Vatican estimates it has about 8 million followers in China, compared with about 5 million who follow the state-backed association.
Despite many overtures, Beijing has insisted that diplomatic ties cannot be resumed unless Rome severs links with Taiwan.
China claims ownership of Taiwan and has threatened war to prevent the democratic island from pushing for statehood, insisting that other states recognise only "one China".
Asian analysts have said the Vatican might abandon Taiwan if China gives the Holy See some say in appointing bishops on the mainland.
China and the Vatican have shown signs of rapprochement in the past, only for relations later to hit new lows.
The Vatican has regularly accused China of violating human rights and criticised the government for what it sees as the repression of religion.
After his election in April, Pope Benedict said he hoped to establish diplomatic relations with countries that still had no formal ties with the Vatican, a clear reference to China, the only major power not to recognise the Pope.
Beijing congratulated the Pope on his election, raising hopes in some quarters of a possible warming in relations.