Exclusive | Pope Francis said to be in final stage of selecting new Hong Kong bishop
- Pontiff has three nominations to consider after an earlier announcement was postponed, according to informed source
- Position seen as one of the most important Catholic Church appointments in China has been vacant for nearly two years
The South China Morning Post has learned that the Holy See is in the final stage of selecting the next bishop for Hong Kong after an announcement on the appointment was postponed in July.
“This position requires someone with tremendous courage and who is willing to put himself in a vulnerable, exposed and challenging position at this point in time for Hong Kong,” said the source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
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The Hong Kong bishop is seen as one of the most important church appointments in China, but analysts said it would be a challenge to find a candidate who could unify the city’s increasingly polarised Catholic community.
Nearly two years on, the 81-year-old cardinal is still in that role and it is not known when Pope Francis will announce his choice. The Vatican press office did not respond to inquiries on the appointment.
Lawrence Reardon, an associate professor specialising in Chinese politics and Catholic affairs at the University of New Hampshire, said Pope Francis would be concerned about “any further deterioration of the Vatican’s control over the Hong Kong church”.
“That has to be the number one concern for all religions in Hong Kong with the adoption of the national security law, especially with a foreign religion,” Reardon said.
“I find [such a long-delayed appointment] unusual because obviously this is one of the most important positions, especially in light of the [new] law,” he added.
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Anthony Lam Sui-ki, a Catholic affairs expert with Hong Kong Shue Yan University’s journalism and communication department, said there was little doubt that Beijing would want to influence the appointment process.
“After all, a religious leader is a social leader,” Lam said. “But in reality, its influence is actually limited because the consultation process for bishop candidates has traditionally been secretive and lengthy.”
The source said three candidates were shortlisted last year after 60 Catholics in the Hong Kong diocese were consulted in a process that began in April. But an announcement was deferred in July this year, and a new consultation process was carried out. Confidential questionnaires were sent to clergy and lay Catholics who were selected at random, asking a range of questions including their views on the Hong Kong bishop and the challenges facing the church.
“[So it cannot be said that] Beijing has a say in the nomination of the Hong Kong bishop. This is not a matter for negotiation with China,” the source added.
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In Hong Kong, the Catholic community is deeply divided politically, and some church members have had significant roles in the city’s pro-democracy movement. According to the source, Tong’s appointment as acting head after Yeung’s death was an effort to encourage unity.
“The Pope appointed Tong to prevent internal strife in the diocese because he is trusted as a neutral and cohesive figure,” the source said.
Those political divisions in the church will be the biggest challenge for whoever is eventually appointed bishop, according to Lam.
Reardon said it was the most senior position in China, as the Hong Kong bishop had in the past been a bridge between the Vatican and the official church in mainland China, as well as a link with the Catholic Church in Taiwan.
“While it seems that the Vatican is appointing the leader [for the Hong Kong] church, in fact what they are appointing is the next de facto leader of the Chinese Catholic Church,” Reardon said.
Former Hong Kong bishops Zen and Tong are the only two living cardinals left in greater China. Cardinals have an advisory role to the pope, and those aged under 80 can vote for a new pope during a papal conclave. The late Taiwanese bishop Paul Shan Kuo-hsi was the last cardinal to be appointed in Taiwan, in 1998, while the late Shanghai bishop Ignatius Gong Pinmei was the last cardinal named in mainland China. He was secretly appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1979 and spent 30 years in prison for defying Beijing’s efforts to control the church.
