The People’s Republic of China has officially recognized Pope Leo XIV’s first bishop appointment, the Vatican announced, signaling what some say is an indication that the new pontiff intends to continue operating under the controversial Vatican-China deal.

Pope Leo XIV made his first appointment of a Chinese bishop under the Vatican’s 2018 agreement with Beijing, signalling he is continuing one of Pope Francis’ most controversial foreign policy decisions.

The new pontiff has implemented an agreement signed in 2018 between the Holy See and Beijing, though some Catholic factions have criticized it.