Pope’s death receives muted official response in China, which has a tense relationship with the Vatican

By Nectar Gan, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — As the world rushed to pay tribute to Pope Francis following his death, the response has been comparatively muted in China – an officially atheist state with millions of Catholics whose government has had a difficult and complex relationship with the Vatican. In the passing of Pope Francis, Beijing loses a well-respected global leader who had pushed the Vatican closer to China’s Communist Party leadership than any of his predecessors. Noneth