Head of China's state-sponsored Catholic Church to visit Hong Kong

The leader of China's Communist Party-sponsored version of the Catholic church will visit Hong Kong this month at the invitation of the city's pope-appointed Roman Catholic cardinal, fostering dialogue as China-Vatican relations remain strained.

Invitation Extended

Joseph Li, the state-appointed archbishop of Beijing, will take a five-day trip to Hong Kong starting November 14 at the invitation of the city's newly appointed cardinal Stephen Chow, according to a statement from the Hong Kong diocese.

Chow made the invitation during his landmark trip to Beijing in April — the first visit to the Chinese capital by the city's bishop in nearly three decades — in a symbolic gesture that experts said could strengthen the fragile relationship between China and the Vatican.

Purpose of the Visit

During Li's visit, he will meet with Chow and "different diocesan offices to promote exchanges and interactions between the two dioceses”, the statement said, without elaborating.

Strained China-Vatican Relations

Beijing and the Vatican severed diplomatic ties in 1951 following the Communist Party's rise to power and the expulsion of foreign priests. Since the break in ties, Catholics in China have been divided between those who belong to an official, state-sanctioned church and those in an underground church loyal to the pope.

The Vatican recognises members of both as Catholics but claims the exclusive right to choose bishops.

The Vatican and China signed an accord in 2018 over the thorny issue of bishop nominations, but Beijing has violated it. Most recently Pope Francis was forced to accept the unilateral appointment of a new bishop of Shanghai.

Pope Francis's Perspective

Francis in September insisted that the Vatican's relations with China were going well but said work must still be done to show Beijing that the Catholic Church isn't beholden to a foreign power.

Criticism from Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen

The 2018 agreement has been harshly criticized by Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, who was detained in May last year on suspicion of colluding with foreign forces under a Beijing-imposed national security law that jailed or silenced many activists. He was released on bail and has yet to be formally charged, but he and five others were fined in a separate case last November for failing to register a now-defunct fund set up to help arrested protesters.

Zen has been an outspoken critic of the Vatican's agreement with China, accusing the Holy See of "selling out" the underground church.

The visit of Joseph Li to Hong Kong is seen as an effort to improve relations between China and the Vatican. However, the Vatican has made it clear that it will not compromise on its principles, including the right to appoint bishops. It remains to be seen whether this visit will lead to any concrete progress in relations between the two sides.