Editing Pope Benedict XVI (section)

==== China ====
{{Main|China–Holy See relations}}
In 2007, Benedict sent a letter at [[Easter]] to Catholics in China that could have wide-ranging implications for the Church's relationship with China's leadership. The letter provides long-requested guidance to Chinese bishops on how to respond to illicitly ordained bishops, as well as how to strengthen ties with the [[Patriotic Association]] and the Communist government.<ref name="Letter">{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20070527_china_en.html |title=Letter of Pope Benedict XVI to Chinese Catholics, 27 May 2007 |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=2 February 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906022747/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/letters/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20070527_china_en.html |archive-date=6 September 2011 }}</ref> Benedict wrote that despite the two [[Catholic Church in China|Catholic communities in China]] (i.e. the "Patriotic" Church and the [[Underground church|"Underground" Church]]) there is no [[Schism in Christianity|schism]] between them. Benedict stated that sacraments performed by the priests not in unity with the Vatican were [[Validity and liceity (Catholic Church)|valid but also illicit]]. He stated that the Catholic Church accepts the legitimacy of the civil authorities in secular matters and that the Pope has authority in ecclesial matters, and therefore the involvement of the Catholic Patriotic Association in the appointment of bishops (and its bishops conference) violated Catholic doctrine. The letter also removed the permission granted by the Vatican in 1978 to the Underground church to appoint bishops without Vatican approval.<ref name=":12">{{Cite book |last=Moody |first=Peter |title=The Taiwan Question in Xi Jinping's Era: Beijing's Evolving Taiwan Policy and Taiwan's Internal and External Dynamics |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2024 |isbn=9781032861661 |editor-last=Zhao |editor-first=Suisheng |editor-link=Suisheng Zhao |location=London and New York |chapter=The Vatican and Taiwan: An Anomalous Diplomatic Relationship}}</ref>{{Rp|page=185}}