NEWS STORY: Pope signals that Hong Kong will be on his radar in 1997

c. 1997 Religion News Service VATICAN CITY _ Pope John Paul II signaled Monday (Jan. 13) that he is prepared to take a tough line against communist China, pointedly telling Beijing it should respect the religious freedom of some 400,000 Catholics in Hong Kong after it assumes sovereignty over the British colony in July. The […]

c. 1997 Religion News Service

VATICAN CITY _ Pope John Paul II signaled Monday (Jan. 13) that he is prepared to take a tough line against communist China, pointedly telling Beijing it should respect the religious freedom of some 400,000 Catholics in Hong Kong after it assumes sovereignty over the British colony in July.

The pope’s remarks, made in his annual address to diplomats accredited to the Vatican, came as the pontiff prepared to ignore China’s objections and receive Taiwan Vice President Lien Chan on Tuesday.


Vatican officials have expressed anxiety about the future of Hong Kong’s Catholic community because China’s atheist government bars the country’s state-controlled Catholics from swearing fidelity to the pope.”By reason of the size and vitality of the Catholic community living in the territory, the Holy See will follow with particular interest this new stage, trusting that respect for differences, for the fundamental rights of the human person and for the rule of law will accompany this new journey forward, prepared for by patient negotiations,”the pope told about 175 diplomats.

In addition to his comments about Hong Kong, the pope said he was troubled by the failure of world leaders to build”a moral law”in the aftermath of the Cold War.”There is an urgent need to organize the post-Cold War peace and the post-1989 freedom on the foundation of moral values which are diametrically opposed to that law which would see the stronger, the richer or the bigger imposing on others their cultural models, economic dictates or ideological models,”he said.

The annual gathering of diplomats accredited to the Holy See is known as the pope’s”state of the world address.”After his speech, which is closely watched to glean the Vatican’s diplomatic priorities for the coming year, the pontiff greets ambassadors to the Holy See and hosts a luncheon that goes late into the afternoon.

Last year, the pope spoke forcefully about the crisis in the former Yugoslavia and proceeded to make the fragile peace process a chief concern throughout the year.

On Monday, the pope gave a generally hopeful assessment of the international scene.”Very fortunately, hope is not absent from the horizon of humanity,”he said.

He cited peace agreements in Guatemala and Sierra Leone, the recent United Nations food summit in Rome, and the nuclear test ban treaty as general successes of 1996.

But the list of troubled countries and diplomatic challenges was far longer.

He said international mediation efforts should be stepped up in numerous countries, including Algeria, Cyprus, Liberia and Russia, where the southern region of Chechnya is seeking independence. He also urged improved dialogue in the Middle East and the Great Lakes region of Africa that includes such trouble spots as Rwanda and Burundi.”The Middle East continues to search uncertainly for the road to peace,”he said.”Everything must be tried to ensure that the sacrifices and efforts of these past years … will not have been in vain.” The Vatican has expressed support for a Palestinian state and says that Jerusalem properly belongs to Jews, Christians and Muslims.


The pope was critical of Europe’s failure to forge a stable peace in the former Yugoslavia and in Chechnya, saying,”In too many areas of Europe one has the impression that people are coexisting rather than cooperating.” But if the Balkan war was the top item on the pope’s radar during the past several years, it appears that China might assume a new prominence for the Vatican in the coming year.

The Vatican and China have gingerly approached each other in recent months in an attempt to find a diplomatic accommodation to problems stemming from 40 years ago, when the Chinese communists declared that they, and not the Vatican, had the right to name Catholic bishops.

China is hoping the entreaties will lead to the Vatican’s diplomatic abandonment of Taiwan in favor of Beijing, while the Vatican is seeking assurances that Catholics in Hong Kong will be free to practice their faith openly upon the transfer of power.

In the meantime, the pope has shown _ in his willingness to meet with Taiwan’s vice president and other actions _ that he will respond forcefully to China until it gives the Vatican the assurances it seeks.

In response to concerns about the future control of the church, the pope last October pre-empted China from asserting any control over the Hong Kong diocese by naming a Shanghai-born priest, the Rev. Joseph Zen, as coadjutor bishop of Hong Kong. The designation means that Zen will be the second in rank, with the right of succession, when Cardinal Wu Chengchung, 71, steps down, probably by 2000.

And last month, in a live broadcast to China, the pope harshly criticized the Chinese government for refusing to recognize the independence of the Roman Catholic Church and urged Catholics to abandon the state religion and express their fidelity to Rome.


MJP END HEILBRONNER

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