Beijing loyalists seeking ties with Catholic Church

A Beijing-friendly political party is seeking ties with the Catholic Church in Hong Kong now the diocese is being led by a bishop who is less confrontational than his predecessor.

In an unprecedented meeting with Bishop John Tong Hon last month, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong sought to open up co-operation with the church on family affairs.

'As the new bishop assumed office, we hoped to strengthen communications on different aspects,' party chairman Tam Yiu-chung said. 'We have been holding exchanges with Protestant and Buddhist groups, but we did not have much contact with the Catholic Church in the past.'

Church insiders viewed the visit as a courtesy call, reflecting the desire of Beijing loyalists to build better relations with the church after the retirement of the outspoken Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun.

The cardinal was a vocal critic of both Beijing and the Hong Kong government. He voiced strong opposition to controversial government proposals, including the national security legislation in 2003, which was later shelved.

For years he also hosted prayer sessions for the candle-light vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown and pan-democrats' march for democracy.

In contrast, the new bishop has rarely made public comments on politics.