Chinese bishops and priests recapitulate view of Xi’s religion on Hong Kong clergy

Author: Greg Torode

HONG KONG (Reuters) – Chinese bishops and religious leaders told Hong Kong’s senior Catholic clergymen that President Xi Jinping’s view of religion had “Chinese characteristics” at an unprecedented meeting organized by the peninsula’s city delegation office, according to four churches.

Clergymen who attended or learned of the Oct. 31 meeting described it as the strongest movement in Beijing in an attempt to influence the Hong Kong diocese, which is accountable to the Vatican and includes some senior leaders who have championed democracy and democracy. human rights in the semi-autonomous territory.

Although Hong Kong’s Catholic leaders met with members of the mainland in the past, it was the first time the two sides had formally met, and it was the first time that mainland religious officials had pushed for such a meeting, the clergy.

Despite the symbolism of the meeting, mainland officials and religious leaders generally avoided a clear political message, they said.

The unpublished meeting also highlights what some religious figures, politicians and diplomats describe as the expansion of Beijing’s Central Government Liaison Office in Beijing, which formally represents the city but has traditionally maintained one. low profile.

Zoom sessions were monitored by the Office of Liaison and State Religious Affairs Administration, attended by three senior bishops and about 15 religious people from the official Catholic Church sponsored by the mainland state of China and about 15 senior clergymen in Hong Kong.

The Vatican considers Hong Kong to be the only diocese, so it has only one bishop.

The Liaison Office and the State Administration of Religious Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.

Susanne Ho, a spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, told Reuters that the diocese “does not provide details of private meetings.”

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni did not comment.

XI

Without mentioning Xi or giving any instructions or orders, mainland speakers described Xi’s “sinicization” policy as consistent with the Vatican’s long-term inculturation policies — adapting Christianity to traditional, non-Christian cultures, two churches said.

Xi has been an active advocate of sinification, and has established policies to promote religions that he calls “Chinese characteristics” and are more closely linked to the party and the state. Religion includes linking Chinese culture, patriotism, and the goals of the ruling Communist Party and the government to achieving Xi’s “Chinese dream.”

“This was just the first step and I felt like they knew they couldn’t get into this too heavily or dogmatically,” one clergyman said.

“We all know that the word Sinic has a political agenda behind it, and they didn’t have to specify it.”

“Xi was an elephant in the room,” the second clergyman said.

The Hong Kong side spoke at length about the long-standing policy of inculturation, without giving rise to political crimes and issues that could invite the intervention of the mainland, the two clergymen said.

NEW BISHOP ORDINANCE

The meeting was held a few weeks before the appointment of Hong Kong’s new bishop Stephen Chow, a moderate appointment at the Vatican, after two failed attempts to fill the post, when Beijing sought to influence the decision, among other pressures.

The Hong Kong area was ruled by a high priest, Peter Choy, a character whom the local Catholics saw close to Beijing and who had previously been chosen to be a bishop.

Chow, the then-elected bishop, briefly attended the ceremony after it opened, three of the clergymen said it could give him time to maneuver in the future.

Cardinal John Tong opened and closed the ceremony with the acting bishop, they said.

A diocesan spokesman said Choy, Chow and Tong had no comment.

While some of Hong Kong’s government and commercial elites are Catholic and pro-Beijing, including city leader Carrie Lam, other Catholics have long been involved in pro-democracy and anti-government activist movements.

Earlier this month, Xik said at a conference in Beijing, described in official reports as the National Workshop on Religious Affairs, that all Chinese religions should embrace the Communist Party, expanding one of its long-standing policies.

“We must maintain the fundamental direction of the party in our religious work, we must follow the direction of our people for the faith of the religion, we must continue to take many religious believers and unite around the party and the government,” Xi said. he said.

STRENGTH IN ADDITION

Some diplomats and activists say that after the imposition of a comprehensive national security law in Hong Kong by Beijing in June 2020, developments are being closely watched.

Hong Kong’s broad religious freedoms and traditions, like the rule of law, are seen as one of the remaining strongholds of the “one country, two systems” model when Britain returned its former colony to Chinese rule in 1997.

The Basic Law explicitly provides for mini-constitutions governing “one country, two systems,” freedom of conscience, and broad freedom of religion, including the right to preach in public.

The church in Hong Kong operates essentially on the front lines of 1997, maintaining a close relationship with the Vatican and taking on a large presence of foreign missionaries.

The 2018 agreement between China and the Holy See to alleviate the long-running friction by giving the Chinese government a meaningful word on the appointment of Vatican bishops does not apply to Hong Kong, Vatican officials say.

Officials in China and Hong Kong have repeatedly said that the city’s broad freedoms, including religious beliefs and affiliation, remain the same.

The October meeting ended without the two sides agreeing that future sessions should be held, but no date was set, the three clergymen said.

“The pressure on Hong Kong is increasing. “We have to be smart to deal with it.”