Hong Kong Bishop Visits Beijing in Historic Journey Amid Sino-Vatican Rigidity

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong’s high Catholic cleric is because of arrive in Beijing on Monday on the primary go to to the Chinese language capital by a bishop of the previous British colony in almost 30 years, regardless of indicators of latest Sino-Vatican pressure.

The go to by Bishop Stephen Chow and several other of his senior clergymen on the invitation of Bishop of Beijing Joseph Li Shan comes weeks after the Vatican introduced that China had unilaterally put in a brand new bishop to Shanghai, an appointment that took the Vatican unexpectedly.

The Vatican mentioned it was knowledgeable of the choice only a few days earlier than the Chinese language announcement, and has beforehand accused China of violating a bilateral accord, renewed final October, over the appointment of bishops.

The deal struck in 2018 was a bid to ease a longstanding divide amongst mainland China’s roughly 12 million Catholics between an underground Church that swears loyalty to the Vatican and the state-supervised Catholic Patriotic Affiliation.

For the primary time for the reason that Nineteen Fifties, each side recognised the pope as supreme chief of the Catholic Church.

In an announcement to Reuters forward of his five-day journey, Chow – who was appointed by the pope – mentioned he hoped to “promote exchanges and interactions” between the mainland and the broader Church, specifically with Asia.

When requested if he was carrying any message for his hosts from the Vatican, Chow, via a spokesperson, mentioned: “That is an alternate of visits between dioceses. Mainland China has established liaison with the Vatican on state affairs.”

China’s Nationwide Non secular Affairs Administration and its state-backed Chinese language Catholic Patriotic Affiliation didn’t instantly reply to requests from Reuters for remark.

Vatican officers have mentioned the 2018 deal, the small print of which haven’t been disclosed, doesn’t apply to Hong Kong given the “one nation, two techniques” association that secured its handover from British to Chinese language rule in 1997.

Freedom of non secular perception and worship is detailed in Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, often known as the Fundamental Legislation, which has ruled the town’s standing as a Particular Administrative Area of China since Britain handed it over in 1997.

Some Hong Kong clergymen and Catholics concern Chinese language authorities are steadily tightening management over the church within the metropolis of simply over 7 million folks, about 400,000 of whom are Catholic, partly via the expansion of exchanges between senior clerics.

Chow didn’t rule out elevating these considerations along with his mainland counterparts.

“It’s potential to the touch on completely different spiritual or different considerations. To this point, there isn’t any restriction in spiritual freedom in Hong Kong per se,” he mentioned.

The Hong Kong authorities didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

Pope Francis named Chow as bishop of Hong Kong in Could 2021 – a long-delayed appointment amid rising Western concern over human rights and freedoms within the Asian monetary hub.

(Reporting by Greg Torode, extra reporting by Laurie Chen; Modifying by Robert Birsel)

Copyright 2023 Thomson Reuters.