https://www.scmp.com/rss/326668/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Stability is the foundation for progress in the world of diplomacy. Newly elected Pope Leo XIV has raised hopes for the constructive development of Beijing-Vatican ties, after he affirmed the importance of maintaining communication with the mainland Chinese authorities and pledged to follow the direction set by the late Pope Francis. Even though a substantive breakthrough in ties might take time, hopefully the continuity can strengthen mutual respect and goodwill. The Holy See’s commitment was... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3324433/cardinals-meeting-pope-good-sign-sino-vatican-relations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3324433/cardinals-meeting-pope-good-sign-sino-vatican-relations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 23:15:07 +0000 Edith Lin,Willa Wu Edith Lin,Willa Wu Newly elected Pope Leo XIV has recognised the importance of maintaining communication with mainland Chinese authorities and will follow the course set by his predecessor regarding Beijing-Vatican ties, Hong Kong’s Catholic bishop has revealed. Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan disclosed the details in an article published in Catholic newspaper the Sunday Examiner on Thursday, two days after his first significant meeting with the new pontiff since taking part in the conclave in May. The meeting, held... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3324272/pope-leo-xiv-pledges-commitment-beijing-vatican-ties-hong-kong-cardinal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3324272/pope-leo-xiv-pledges-commitment-beijing-vatican-ties-hong-kong-cardinal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Sep 2025 03:21:53 +0000 Kawala Xie Kawala Xie China said it was willing to promote better relations with the Vatican after the appointment of the first Chinese bishop under the new pope. On Wednesday, the Vatican said Pope Leo had named Joseph Lin Yuntuan, 73, as an auxiliary bishop in Fuzhou, capital of the southwestern province of Fujian, on June 5. The appointment continues an agreement reached under Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, that bishops must be approved by both sides. The announcement was made on the same day that Beijing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3314200/beijing-hoping-closer-ties-vatican-after-pope-leo-names-first-chinese-bishop?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3314200/beijing-hoping-closer-ties-vatican-after-pope-leo-names-first-chinese-bishop?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Jun 2025 13:37:37 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Pope Leo asked on Sunday for prayers for China’s Catholics to be in communion with the Holy See, as he made his first public remarks about one of the thorniest foreign policy issues facing his new pontificate. History’s first American pope recalled that on Saturday the Catholic Church marked a special feast day to pray for the church in China. Pope Benedict XVI had initiated the feast day as part of his efforts to unify China’s estimated 12 million Catholics who were divided between an official,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3311757/pope-leo-prays-chinese-catholics-be-communion-rome?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3311757/pope-leo-prays-chinese-catholics-be-communion-rome?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 May 2025 20:21:04 +0000 Agencies,William Yiu Agencies,William Yiu Pope Leo XIV, history’s first North American pope, celebrated his first mass as pontiff on Friday, with the world watching for signs of what kind of leader he would be. Leo, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost, looked serene as he said the mass in the Sistine Chapel with the same cardinals who chose him to be the 267th pontiff and the successor to Pope Francis. Dressed in relatively simple white and gold vestments, Leo, who was born in Chicago but spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, said a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3309780/pope-leo-xiv-vows-bring-light-worlds-dark-nights-after-historic-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3309780/pope-leo-xiv-vows-bring-light-worlds-dark-nights-after-historic-election?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 May 2025 11:15:34 +0000 William Yiu William Yiu The Hong Kong Catholic Church has called on the faithful to pray for newly elected Pope Leo XIV, who has stressed the importance of displaying love through dialogue and compassion. Hours after the new pontiff, formerly Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected on Thursday as the 267th pope, the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong issued its own statement on Friday. “Together with the faithful, Cardinal Stephen Chow, SJ, Bishop of the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong, gives thanks to God for choosing... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3309698/faithful-called-pray-leo-xiv-first-us-pope-hong-kong-catholic-church?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3309698/faithful-called-pray-leo-xiv-first-us-pope-hong-kong-catholic-church?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 May 2025 06:48:16 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung The leader of Hong Kong’s Catholics has emphasised the need to maintain a “better understanding” and “better relationship” between the Vatican and mainland China, saying that such “bridge-building” under the late Pope Francis should continue. Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, who is in Rome preparing for the coming conclave that starts on Wednesday to elect a new pope, acknowledged that some Catholics disliked the Vatican-Beijing agreement struck under Francis over the appointment of bishops on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3308964/beijing-vatican-ties-built-under-pope-must-be-maintained-hong-kong-cardinal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3308964/beijing-vatican-ties-built-under-pope-must-be-maintained-hong-kong-cardinal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 May 2025 10:55:18 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong About 1,000 people flocked to Hong Kong’s main Catholic cathedral for the late Pope Francis’ requiem mass on Monday evening, with mourners at the service hearing of the pontiff’s “deep care and concern about the church in China”. Retired Cardinal John Tong Hon, who presided over the 1½-hour mass at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception in Central, recounted his past meetings with the pontiff during the service. Congregants also offered up prayers for the late pope and sang hymns. Among the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3308258/pope-francis-cared-deeply-church-china-hong-kong-mourners-hear?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3308258/pope-francis-cared-deeply-church-china-hong-kong-mourners-hear?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Apr 2025 14:36:13 +0000 This rolling story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. New users who download our updated app get a seven-day free trial. World leaders and Catholic faithful bade farewell to Pope Francis in a funeral on Saturday that highlighted his concern for people on the “most peripheral of the peripheries” and reflected his wishes as pastor. Some 250,000 people flocked to the funeral Mass in St Peter’s Square in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3308029/pope-francis-funeral-vatican-welcomes-world-leaders-worshippers-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3308029/pope-francis-funeral-vatican-welcomes-world-leaders-worshippers-ceremony?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Apr 2025 07:03:54 +0000 Beijing highlighted “constructive” relations with the Vatican under Pope Francis in sending condolences on Tuesday after the pontiff’s death a day earlier. China and the Holy See made advances in recent years, notably signing a provisional agreement in 2018 on the appointment of bishops in China. This was most recently extended by four years in 2024. Still, China is yet to persuade the Vatican to switch official diplomatic recognition from the Republic of China, or Taiwan, to the People’s... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3307593/china-vatican-relations-uncertain-cardinals-prepare-select-successor-pope-francis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3307593/china-vatican-relations-uncertain-cardinals-prepare-select-successor-pope-francis?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Apr 2025 09:09:32 +0000 Ng Kang-chung,Cannix Yau,Oscar Liu Ng Kang-chung,Cannix Yau,Oscar Liu The Hong Kong Catholic Church has said it will continue to serve as a bridge between mainland China and the Holy See, while observers expect the local diocese to further foster the more harmonious Sino-Vatican ties built by Pope Francis, who died on Monday. Expressing condolences over the pope’s death, foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday that Beijing and the Vatican had maintained constructive contact and conducted friendly exchanges, and the central government was willing to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3307510/church-hong-kong-expected-remain-bridge-between-vatican-and-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3307510/church-hong-kong-expected-remain-bridge-between-vatican-and-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Apr 2025 00:30:12 +0000 Beijing on Tuesday expressed condolences over the death of Pope Francis and reiterated its willingness to continue improving relations with the Vatican. But experts caution that the future of relations remains uncertain, given unresolved critical issues including whether the Vatican will formally recognise Beijing over Taiwan, and with a landmark agreement on appointing bishops still largely dependent on the next pope. China’s foreign ministry on Tuesday emphasised the “constructive” momentum in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3307498/china-condoles-death-pope-francis-seeks-continued-progress-vatican-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3307498/china-condoles-death-pope-francis-seeks-continued-progress-vatican-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Apr 2025 15:00:09 +0000 Ng Kang-chung,Oscar Liu,Reuters Ng Kang-chung,Oscar Liu,Reuters Hong Kong paid tribute to Pope Francis after his death on Monday at age 88, with religious and political figures worldwide praising him as a champion of peace and an “inspirational leader” who pushed to reform the church. The first Latin American leader of the Catholic Church suffered a serious bout of double pneumonia earlier this year, raising fears over his long-term health, but he appeared to have recovered and greeted cheering crowds in St Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Easter... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3307353/hong-kongs-catholic-church-recalls-inspirational-leader-pope-francis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3307353/hong-kongs-catholic-church-recalls-inspirational-leader-pope-francis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Apr 2025 12:39:29 +0000 Dave Besseling Dave Besseling “The Roman Catholic bishop of Hongkong, the Most Rev John Baptist Wu, will head a five-member delegation to China soon at the invitation of the Chinese Government,” reported the South China Morning Post on March 14, 1985. “Bishop Wu will be the first Catholic Bishop from Hongkong to visit China officially since the communists took power in 1949. This visit is seen as a significant step by both sides to begin a dialogue despite Peking’s opposition to the Vatican’s diplomatic ties with... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3302334/when-john-baptist-wu-was-first-hong-kong-bishop-visit-china-1949?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/culture/article/3302334/when-john-baptist-wu-was-first-hong-kong-bishop-visit-china-1949?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Mar 2025 10:00:23 +0000 China and the Vatican have agreed to extend an agreement concerning the appointment of Chinese bishops, the two parties said on Tuesday. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular press briefing in Beijing that both parties had decided to extend the agreement by four years after “friendly consultations”. “The two sides will maintain talks with a constructive spirit and continue to promote the improvement of China-Vatican relations,” Lin said. Separately, the Vatican said it... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3283452/china-and-vatican-agree-extend-deal-bishop-appointments-4-more-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3283452/china-and-vatican-agree-extend-deal-bishop-appointments-4-more-years?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Oct 2024 01:47:16 +0000 Pope Francis declared on Friday that China was “a promise and a hope” for the Catholic Church, offering extensive praise for Beijing at the end of a four-nation tour through Asia and again expressed hope to one day visit. Francis’ comments, during an in-flight press conference en route home from Singapore, came as the Vatican enters into the final weeks of negotiations to renew a 2018 agreement over the contentious issue of bishop nominations. Francis declared himself “happy” with the process,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3278497/pope-makes-new-overture-china-calls-beijing-promise-and-hope-catholic-church?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3278497/pope-makes-new-overture-china-calls-beijing-promise-and-hope-catholic-church?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Sep 2024 19:44:21 +0000 China held talks with the Vatican about its peace plan for Ukraine on Wednesday as the latest offensive continued to push into Russian territory. The call between Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Vatican’s special peace envoy, and his Chinese counterpart Li Hui was a relatively rare occurrence because the Holy See does not have formal diplomatic ties with Beijing. “Li Hui appreciates the Vatican’s constant efforts to mediate the Ukraine crisis and provide humanitarian assistance. He stressed that the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274649/china-and-vatican-discuss-ukraine-peace-plan-russia-continues-lose-ground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3274649/china-and-vatican-discuss-ukraine-peace-plan-russia-continues-lose-ground?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Aug 2024 14:00:08 +0000 Beijing has expressed hopes of a “continuous improvement” of ties with the Vatican, a day after the Holy See said it hoped to set up a permanent office in mainland China, in developments watched closely by Taiwan. The Vatican is among the dozen governments, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean, that still maintain diplomatic relations with Taipei. “We are willing to work together with the Vatican to promote the continuous improvement of China-Vatican relations,” Beijing’s foreign ministry... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3263680/beijing-hopes-continuous-improvement-vatican-ties-after-popes-deputy-seeks-stable-presence-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3263680/beijing-hopes-continuous-improvement-vatican-ties-after-popes-deputy-seeks-stable-presence-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 May 2024 11:54:44 +0000 Beijing’s top Catholic cleric began his historic visit on Tuesday to Hong Kong, where he planned to meet his local counterpart to “promote exchanges and interactions” between the two dioceses. Bishop Joseph Li Shan’s first visit to the city was at the invitation of Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, the head of the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong, who visited Beijing in April. Li visited the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Caine Road in the morning, accompanied by Reverend Dominic Chan... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3241459/beijings-top-catholic-cleric-begins-5-day-historic-visit-hong-kong-promote-exchanges-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3241459/beijings-top-catholic-cleric-begins-5-day-historic-visit-hong-kong-promote-exchanges-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Nov 2023 05:53:35 +0000 It was not without symbolism that Pope Francis made Hong Kong bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan a cardinal on the eve of National Day, when unity of the nation and Chinese people is the prevailing theme. In his first remarks under a cardinal’s hat, the leader of the city’s Catholic diocese said his new role would be an important bridge between China and the church. “Even Hong Kong itself in history is a bridge between East and West,” he said, “and so is the [Hong Kong] church, between the church in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3237137/vatican-raises-hopes-new-role-hong-kongs-chow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3237137/vatican-raises-hopes-new-role-hong-kongs-chow?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Oct 2023 22:45:08 +0000 Hong Kong’s top Catholic priest Stephen Chow Sau-yan was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in Rome on Saturday, a role which the city’s diocese leader said was an important bridge between “China and the universal church”. Chow was among 21 bishops promoted in the ceremony hosted by the pontiff at St Peter’s Square, making him fourth in the city’s history to hold the title. The 64-year-old follows in the footsteps of late John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung, Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, 91, and John Tong Hon,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3236400/hong-kongs-top-catholic-priest-stephen-chow-made-cardinal-pope-francis-calling-role-important-bridge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3236400/hong-kongs-top-catholic-priest-stephen-chow-made-cardinal-pope-francis-calling-role-important-bridge?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Sep 2023 14:53:18 +0000 Pope Francis returned to Rome on Monday after the first papal voyage to Mongolia, expressing admiration for its people and those of neighbour China while acknowledging such trips were becoming more difficult to make. The 86-year-old ventured to the vast, isolated Central Asian nation as a gesture of support to its tiny Catholic community, but the trip was overshadowed by apparent overtures to Beijing, with whom the Vatican for years has struggled to make inroads. “Relations with China are very... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3233403/pope-francis-returns-mongolia-trip-dominated-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3233403/pope-francis-returns-mongolia-trip-dominated-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Sep 2023 17:07:40 +0000 Pope Francis invoked the “wisdom” of the Mongolian people on Saturday, in harmony with nature and embracing spirituality, while warning the young democracy of such modern-day risks as corruption and environmental ruin. The 86-year-old Francis, on the first papal visit to the Asian nation sandwiched between China and Russia, was feted with an official welcome ceremony that included a phalanx of Mongolian horsemen in metal armour parading past the State Palace. The pope, who waved to the crowd in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3233187/pope-francis-warns-mongolia-risks-corruption-environmental-destruction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3233187/pope-francis-warns-mongolia-risks-corruption-environmental-destruction?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Sep 2023 04:15:44 +0000 Pope Francis arrived in Mongolia on Friday for the first papal visit to the Asian nation, as he sent a message of “unity and peace” to neighbouring China in a bid to improve ties. The 86-year-old pontiff’s trip through Monday to the Buddhist-majority nation is a gesture of support for the tiny community of Catholics numbering about 1,400 – but at the same time a strategic move to improve Vatican ties with neighbours China and Russia. Francis, who arrived Friday morning local time following a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/3233039/pope-francis-starts-first-visit-mongolia-nation-1400-catholics-chinas-doorstep?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/3233039/pope-francis-starts-first-visit-mongolia-nation-1400-catholics-chinas-doorstep?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Sep 2023 03:05:40 +0000 Pope Francis has approved a new bishop of Shanghai as the Vatican chided China for transferring him there without consultation, in violation of bilateral accords. A Vatican statement on Saturday said the pope had named Bishop Joseph Shen Bin to head the vacant Shanghai diocese. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, said in an interview issued separately that it had not been consulted when Shen was moved to Shanghai from the diocese of Haimen, in Jiangsu province. Parolin... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3227850/shanghai-bishop-shen-approved-pope-francis-vatican-chides-china-violation-pact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3227850/shanghai-bishop-shen-approved-pope-francis-vatican-chides-china-violation-pact?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jul 2023 14:18:16 +0000 The elevation of the head of the Hong Kong Catholic diocese by the Vatican is good news for followers. It also comes with some words of wisdom as the city puts behind its troubled past and raises hopes for better development and cooperation with mainland China on the religious front. Newly appointed cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan is the fourth to hold such a position in Hong Kong, after late John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung, Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, 91, and John Tong Hon, 83. The promotion is not only in... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3227489/chow-gives-boost-reconciliation-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3227489/chow-gives-boost-reconciliation-hopes?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Jul 2023 22:30:18 +0000 Being patriotic requires “extra effort” by Hongkongers who grew up in the colonial era and the obligation is even more difficult after a decade of political and social change, the city’s top Catholic cleric has said, also insisting that loving one’s country was a key religious teaching. Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan, the head of Hong Kong’s Catholic diocese, on Friday elaborated on his recent call for patriotism during his historic trip to Beijing, saying he understood that such a stance was bound... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3218683/being-patriotic-requires-extra-effort-hongkongers-colonial-era-citys-top-catholic-cleric-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3218683/being-patriotic-requires-extra-effort-hongkongers-colonial-era-citys-top-catholic-cleric-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Apr 2023 04:32:51 +0000 Hong Kong’s top Catholic cleric has said patriotism is everyone’s duty, as he brushed aside suggestions that his historic visit to Beijing could be perceived as a move to “politicise religion”. Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan of the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong on Friday also revealed that he had invited his Beijing counterpart, Joseph Li Shan, to visit the city before wrapping up his five-day trip to the capital. The trip, which marks the first time the city’s top Catholic cleric has visited... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3217922/patriotism-everyones-duty-hong-kong-bishop-brushes-aside-politicising-religion-concerns-during?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3217922/patriotism-everyones-duty-hong-kong-bishop-brushes-aside-politicising-religion-concerns-during?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Apr 2023 12:30:14 +0000 Hong Kong’s top Catholic cleric has called for closer ties among the city’s diocese, local churches and their counterparts in mainland China during the fourth day of his historic trip to Beijing, which he hoped would not be his last. Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan made the remarks on Thursday morning during mass at Beijing’s Church of the Saviour, which he attended alongside the city’s archbishop and head of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, Joseph Li Shan. Chow’s five-day trip marks the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3217670/hong-kongs-top-catholic-cleric-calls-closer-ties-mainland-chinese-churches-during-beijing-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3217670/hong-kongs-top-catholic-cleric-calls-closer-ties-mainland-chinese-churches-during-beijing-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Apr 2023 03:29:52 +0000 Beijing has been playing hard ball with the Vatican. Having tentatively reached an agreement in 2018 on the method of selecting mutually acceptable bishops on the mainland, China hasn’t been exactly following it. This month, Beijing named Joseph Shen Bin as the new bishop of Shanghai, the country’s biggest Catholic diocese, apparently without seeking prior approval from Rome under the 2018 agreement, which was extended for two years in 2022. It was likewise with the appointment in November of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3217357/uneasy-pact-appears-suit-vatican-and-china-right-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3217357/uneasy-pact-appears-suit-vatican-and-china-right-now?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Apr 2023 13:00:24 +0000 Chinese authorities have appointed a new bishop to Shanghai, the largest Roman Catholic diocese in China, the Vatican said on Tuesday, in an apparent violation of a bilateral pact between the two states. The Holy See was informed “a few days ago” of the decision by China to transfer Bishop Shen Bin from Haimen, in Jiangsu province, to the diocese of Shanghai, the Vatican said. It added that it had learned of his official instalment earlier on Tuesday from the media. “For the moment I have... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3216016/vatican-says-china-has-unilaterally-appointed-bishop-shanghai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3216016/vatican-says-china-has-unilaterally-appointed-bishop-shanghai?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Apr 2023 16:47:48 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. The former Pope Benedict died on the last day of 2022, raising mixed feelings among Catholics as we also celebrate the start of 2023. I would like to emphasise three often overlooked aspects of his... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3205324/china-iraq-legacy-and-lessons-former-pope-benedict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3205324/china-iraq-legacy-and-lessons-former-pope-benedict?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jan 2023 03:30:13 +0000 The Vatican on Saturday said it and China had renewed a secret and contested agreement on the appointment of Catholic bishops in the country. It was the second time the accord, which is still provisional, was extended for another two years since it was first reached in 2018. The latest extension had been widely expected. The deal was a bid to ease a long-standing divide across mainland China between an underground flock loyal to the pope and a state-backed official church. For the first time... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3196907/vatican-confirms-renewal-contested-catholic-church-accord-china-bishops-appointments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3196907/vatican-confirms-renewal-contested-catholic-church-accord-china-bishops-appointments?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Oct 2022 13:25:20 +0000 The Vatican told China that Pope Francis was willing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping while both leaders were in Kazakhstan’s capital, but China said there was not enough time, a Vatican source said on Thursday. The source gave no details on how or when the Vatican approached China, with which it is involved in a delicate dialogue over the status of the Catholic Church in the country. Pope hopes deal with China on bishop appointments will be renewed soon The source said the Vatican made “an... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3192695/china-declines-xi-pope-francis-meeting-kazakhstan-vatican?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3192695/china-declines-xi-pope-francis-meeting-kazakhstan-vatican?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Sep 2022 04:53:18 +0000 Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has sent a special envoy to attend this weekend’s beatification of former pope John Paul I, saying it demonstrates the close relations between the island and the Vatican. The Vatican is Taiwan’s sole European diplomatic ally, and Taipei has watched with concern as Pope Francis has moved to improve relations with Beijing. The democratically governed island has formal ties with only 14 countries, largely due to pressure from Beijing. Cardinal Joseph Zen arrested by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3191222/taiwan-sends-special-envoy-beatification-former-pope-john-paul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3191222/taiwan-sends-special-envoy-beatification-former-pope-john-paul?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Sep 2022 04:43:16 +0000 Top political adviser Wang Yang has urged new Catholic leaders in China to resist foreign influence and ensure that control of the church remains in the hands of patriots. He made the remarks after the two state-sponsored Catholic Church bodies in China elected new leaders at a twice-a-decade conference that wrapped up in Wuhan, Hubei province on Saturday. During the three-day meeting, Archbishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing was appointed chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3190067/beijing-tells-new-catholic-leaders-fend-infiltration-foreign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3190067/beijing-tells-new-catholic-leaders-fend-infiltration-foreign?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Aug 2022 14:15:22 +0000 Pope Francis is hopeful the Vatican’s secret and contested agreement with China on the appointment of bishops can be renewed in October, saying the church “takes the long view”. The 85-year-old pontiff acknowledged that the agreement is not ideal, but defended it as the statecraft of working with the little available and trying to improve it. “Diplomacy is like that. When you face a blocked situation, you have to find the possible way, not the ideal way, out of it,” Francis said. “Diplomacy is... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3184266/pope-hopes-deal-china-bishop-appointments-will-be-renewed-soon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3184266/pope-hopes-deal-china-bishop-appointments-will-be-renewed-soon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Jul 2022 02:56:54 +0000 “Hongkong’s Catholic Bishop, the Most Reverend John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung, was elevated to Cardinal by Pope John Paul II yesterday,” reported the South China Morning Post on May 30, 1988, in “a move that indicates the growing importance of the local church to the Vatican”. “A strong supporter of closer links between the local Catholic Church and the breakaway mainland church, 63-year-old Bishop Wu is likely to play an increasingly important role in normalising the sometimes strained relations... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3177880/when-pope-john-paul-ii-elevated-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3177880/when-pope-john-paul-ii-elevated-hong-kongs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 May 2022 04:45:16 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan has condemned Nicaragua for seizing its diplomatic assets and transferring them to Beijing, to which the Central American state this month switched its official recognition. Accusing Nicaragua of defying international laws and protocols, the Taiwanese foreign ministry said President Daniel Ortega’s government had illegally confiscated the embassy compound in Managua, the capital, and other assets belonging to Taiwan after switching ties from Taipei to Beijing on December 9. “Regarding the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3161202/taiwan-blasts-nicaragua-giving-its-assets-beijing-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3161202/taiwan-blasts-nicaragua-giving-its-assets-beijing-after?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Dec 2021 13:31:16 +0000 The Vatican has become more cautious about changing its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan as the island becomes the focus of growing diplomatic wrangling over the island by Beijing and Washington, according to observers. The Vatican is one of Taipei’s 15 diplomatic allies, but has long expressed desire to revive its official ties with Beijing – a relationship that was severed in 1951. In a step towards reviving the relationship, Beijing and the Holy See reached a provisional agreement in 2018... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3154287/caution-vatican-amid-us-china-tussle-over-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3154287/caution-vatican-amid-us-china-tussle-over-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 Oct 2021 01:00:22 +0000 A Catholic priest has finally been appointed as the bishop for the Chinese city of Wuhan – after leading the diocese unofficially for nine years. Father Francesco Cui Qingqi was consecrated at the Cathedral of St Joseph in Hankou district in Wuhan on Wednesday, becoming the sixth member of the clergy ordained under the 2018 Sino-Vatican agreement on the appointment of bishops. Pope Francis named the 57-year-old the bishop of Hankou/Wuhan in June, the Holy See press office said. The Hankou/Wuhan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3148175/wuhan-diocese-finally-gets-new-bishop-under-china-vatican?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3148175/wuhan-diocese-finally-gets-new-bishop-under-china-vatican?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Sep 2021 11:08:10 +0000 Catholics account for just over 5 per cent of Hong Kong’s population. They remain polarised following the anti-government unrest of 2019 and the imposition of the national security law. But their church is still credited with historically important influence disproportionate to its numbers, not least because senior officials can usually be found among its followers. The appointment by the Holy See of a new bishop of Hong Kong has therefore been keenly awaited, particularly because the post has... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3133970/hong-kongs-new-bishop-will-have-walk-tightrope?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3133970/hong-kongs-new-bishop-will-have-walk-tightrope?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 May 2021 16:42:05 +0000 Bishop-elect Stephen Chow Sau-yan has pledged to unify Hong Kong’s politically divided Roman Catholic community, while nurturing empathy and helping the city’s youth to heal from past trauma. His long-delayed appointment was announced by the Holy See on Monday after the post was left vacant for more than two years, at a time when the city’s political and religious freedoms were being tested by the civil unrest in 2019 and Beijing’s imposition of a sweeping national security law last... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3133942/hong-kongs-new-catholic-bishop-pledges-unify-divided-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3133942/hong-kongs-new-catholic-bishop-pledges-unify-divided-city?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 May 2021 11:24:05 +0000 The Vatican has named Stephen Chow Sau-yan as the bishop of Hong Kong, the Holy See said on Monday, an appointment made at a tumultuous time for the city as its political and religious freedoms are tested. Hong Kong’s Catholics have been without a permanent leader for more than two years since the death of Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung in January 2019. The Vatican brought 82-year-old former bishop John Tong Hon out of retirement to serve as the apostolic administrator, a role he will remain... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3133807/vatican-appoints-stephen-chow-new-bishop-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3133807/vatican-appoints-stephen-chow-new-bishop-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 May 2021 10:26:42 +0000 Trying to save jobs as the pandemic pummels Vatican revenues, Pope Francis has ordered pay cuts for cardinals and other clerics, including priests and nuns, who work at the Holy See. In a decree published online on Wednesday by the Vatican’s official newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, Francis said that starting in April, cardinals’ salaries will be reduced by 10 per cent. Superiors of the Holy See’s various departments will be hit by 8 per cent cuts while lower-ranking priests and nuns will see 3... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3126836/coronavirus-pope-gives-order-slash-salaries-vatican-staff?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3126836/coronavirus-pope-gives-order-slash-salaries-vatican-staff?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Mar 2021 17:01:49 +0000 Pope Francis raised 13 new cardinals, including the first African-American, to the highest rank in the Catholic hierarchy on Saturday and immediately warned them not to use their titles for corrupt, personal gain, presiding over a ceremony marked from beginning to end by the coronavirus pandemic. Two new “princes” of the church, from Brunei and the Philippines, did not make it to Rome because of Covid-19 travel restrictions, though they were shown on giant screens watching it from home in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3111794/pope-francis-prepares-elevate-13-new-cardinals-including-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3111794/pope-francis-prepares-elevate-13-new-cardinals-including-first?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Nov 2020 21:42:38 +0000 In a new book, Pope Francis for the first time calls China’s Muslim Uygurs a “persecuted” people, something human rights activists have been urging him to do for years. “I think often of persecuted peoples: the Rohingya, the poor Uygurs, the Yazidi,” he said in the wide-ranging Let Us Dream: the Path to a Better Future, a 150-page collaboration with his English-language biographer, Austen Ivereigh. It goes on sale on December 1. The comments were made in a section where the pontiff also talks... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3111082/pope-francis-first-time-says-chinas-uygurs-are-persecuted?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3111082/pope-francis-first-time-says-chinas-uygurs-are-persecuted?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Nov 2020 21:53:33 +0000 Catholic bishops of the United States open a national meeting on Monday under dramatic circumstances. The coronavirus pandemic has forced them to meet virtually from their far-flung dioceses. A hard-fought presidential election has caused sharp divisions in their own ranks. And six days before the meeting, the Vatican released a revelatory report detailing how clerics in the US and abroad failed to hold ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick to account until many years after suspicions of serial sexual... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3109956/moment-turmoil-catholic-bishops-us-hold-virtual?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3109956/moment-turmoil-catholic-bishops-us-hold-virtual?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Nov 2020 19:46:21 +0000 The long-delayed appointment of a Hong Kong bishop could be the next contentious issue between Beijing and the Holy See after they renewed a deal on mainland bishops last month. 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. An informed source would not elaborate on what caused the delay, but said the Holy See had conducted a second consultation process... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3109825/pope-francis-said-be-final-stage-selecting-new-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3109825/pope-francis-said-be-final-stage-selecting-new-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Nov 2020 11:00:15 +0000 Retired Hong Kong bishop Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun has criticised the Vatican’s decision not to grant US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo an audience with Pope Francis during his trip to the Holy See last month. The Vatican said at the time – weeks before the US elections on November 3 – that it did not meet politicians during election campaign periods, but Zen, who was also snubbed by Pope Francis on his recent trip to Rome, said in an interview that it was “ridiculous” for the Pope not to see... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3109726/pope-looked-anti-trump-refusing-meet-mike-pompeo-says-retired?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3109726/pope-looked-anti-trump-refusing-meet-mike-pompeo-says-retired?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Nov 2020 04:00:11 +0000