State-Backed Chinese Catholic Church Head to Visit Hong Kong Amid Tense Sino-Vatican Relations

Beijing Archbishop's five-day visit, starting November 14, aims at promoting interaction between the dioceses, as the Vatican grapples with Beijing's violation of an agreement on bishop appointments.

• Joseph Li, the Beijing Archbishop appointed by China's state-backed Catholic Church, plans to visit Hong Kong for five days starting November 14, to promote interaction between the prayerful dioceses.
• Central to the visit is the strained Sino-Vatican relationship, following Beijing's violation of an agreement to have the Vatican nominate bishops. The unilateral appointment of a new bishop of Shanghai by Beijing is an example of such a breach.
• Since the severing of diplomatic ties in 1951, Catholics in China have been split between state-sanctioned church attendees and those loyal to the Pope in an underground church. The Vatican recognizes members of both and asserts its exclusive right to bishop appointment.
• Cardinal Stephen Chow of Hong Kong extended the invitation to Archbishop Joseph Li during Chow's visit to Beijing in April 2023, the first by a Hong Kong bishop in nearly 30 years. Chow's visit and subsequent reciprocation by Li could potentially strengthen the fragile relationship between China and the Vatican.
• Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, a critic of the Vatican-China 2018 agreement, was detained in May 2022 under a Beijing-imposed national security law, suspected of colluding with foreign forces. Despite being released on bail, he and five others were fined last November for failing to register a dissolved fund created to assist arrested protestors.

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