In Hong Kong’s Kowloon area, the Roman Catholic Church operates an unofficial diplomatic mission. It is the only political presence the Vatican has in any part of China.
Nuns arrested as Beijing turns up heat in Hong Kong
Senior clerics see the detentions as a sign China wants to close the Vatican mission
in the territory, while the local diocese attempts to rein in pro-democracy voices
By Greg Torode / Reuters, HONG KONG
In a high-walled Art Deco villa in the Hong Kong suburbs of Kowloon, the Vatican operates an unofficial diplomatic mission, its only political outpost of any kind in China.
The mission keeps such a low profile that it is not listed in the Roman Catholic Church’s formal directory of every priest and property in the territory. The two monsignors who staff the outpost have no formal standing with Beijing or the Hong Kong government, and they do not conduct official work, not even meeting Hong Kong officials.
Despite pandemic restrictions, 2020 still a busy year for Pope Francis
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In this file photo taken on March 27, 2020, Pope Francis delivers the Urbi et Orbi prayer in an empty St. Peter s Square, at the Vatican. If ever there was a defining moment of Pope Francis during the coronavirus pandemic, it came on March 27, the day Italy recorded its single biggest daily jump in fatalities. From the rain-slicked promenade of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis said the virus had shown that we’re all in this together, that we need each other and need to reassess our priorities. (Credit: Alessandra Tarantino/AP.)
Dec 31, 2020
HONG KONG – In a high-walled Art Deco villa in the Hong Kong suburbs of Kowloon, the Vatican operates an unofficial diplomatic mission, its only political outpost of any kind in China.
The mission keeps such a low profile that it isn’t listed in the Roman Catholic Church’s formal directory of every priest and property in the city. The two monsignors who staff the outpost have no formal standing with Beijing or the Hong Kong government, and they don’t conduct official work, not even meeting Hong Kong officials. The tenuous foothold is a sign of the delicate position in China of the world’s largest Christian denomination, many of whose members in Hong Kong staunchly support the city’s democracy movement.
“It is highly unusual for nuns to be detained,” one cleric told Reuters for the exclusive published Wednesday. “Normally they are left alone.”
“We are at the bottom of the pit there is no freedom of expression anymore,” the former Bishop of Hong Kong, 88-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen, said in a written statement. “All these things are normal in mainland China. We are becoming like any other city in China. … For any word you say, [Beijing] can say you’re offending the National Security Law.”
Senior members of the clergy said the arrests are likely an effort to influence who will become the city’s next bishop since the position has not been filled for two years.