VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis is urging Chinese Catholics to trust him and make concrete gestures of reconciliation following a landmark deal over bishop appointments aimed at ending decades of estrangement between the Vatican and Beijing that had split the church.

In a letter to the Chinese faithful published Wednesday, Francis urged Chinese Catholics to help “initiate an unprecedented process that we hope will help to heal the wounds of the past, restore full communion among all Chinese Catholics, and lead to a phase of greater fraternal cooperation.”

He also called for greater dialogue with local government authorities to ensure that ordinary church activities can be carried out.

The letter follows the deal signed Saturday governing the naming of bishops in China.