The head of the Catholic church in China began a trip to Hong Kong on Tuesday at the invitation of the city’s pope-appointed Roman Catholic cardinal, marking the first official visit by a Beijing bishop in history.

Cardinal Stephen Chow said officials in China “appreciate that Pope Francis appreciates them” in this exclusive interview with America’s Vatican correspondent.

We now know everyone who will participate in the historic month-long gathering at the Vatican this October.

As Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis’ special envoy for peace in Ukraine, concluded his three-day visit to Beijing, surprising news came from Moscow.

Pope Francis announced several times that he hoped Cardinal Zuppi would go to Beijing on a peace mission, but it has taken a long time for the Chinese to agree to accept him.

On the plane home from Mongolia, Pope Francis answered several questions about this October’s synod of bishops.