Catholic bishops from China will for the first time attend a major Vatican meeting starting this week, the Vatican said Monday, the first concrete sign of a thaw between the Holy See and Beijing following a landmark agreement.

The deal, which was in the making for more than 10 years and signed on Sept. 22, gives the Vatican a long-sought say in the choice of bishops in China, though critics have labeled it a sellout to the Communist government.

China's approximately 12 million Catholics have been split between an underground Church swearing loyalty to the Vatican and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Association.

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