Pope turns back on supporting Hong Kong

Pope Francis has backed away from expressing support for the people of Hong Kong as they struggle with China’s new national security laws.

Pope Francis in St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. Picture: AFP

Pope Francis has turned his back on expressing support for the people of Hong Kong as they struggle with China’s new national security laws.

Shortly before the Pontiff’s Sunday morning address in St Peter’s Square, journalists were handed the official preview of his remarks. The mild statement expresses his “heartfelt closeness to all the inhabitants of that territory’’ and urged “farsighted wisdom, authentic dialogue, courage, humility, non-violence and respect for the dignity and rights of all’’.

But when Francis spoke he ignored the statement and did not mention Hong Kong.

Veteran Vatican reporter Marco Tosatti reproduced the statement on his blog, Stilum Curiae (House Style) revealing that shortly before the Vatican window was opened for Francis to appear, journalists were “warned that the Hong Kong portion would not be pronounced’’.

Tosatti asked: “Because?’’

No official answer has been given.

The incident again raises questions about the secret pact signed by the Vatican and Beijing in 2018, which reportedly handed the Chinese Communist Party control over the appointment of Catholic bishops.

In Hong Kong, outspoken cardinal Joseph Zen, 88, announced on his video page last week that he was prepared to suffer arrest and trial under the territory’s new security law. “Numerous predecessors have endured similarly,’’ he said.

Cardinal Zen has been an outspoken opponent of the Vatican-China pact.

Commenting on the pope’s omitting the section of his prepared speech devoted to Hong Kong, John Allen, writing on the Crux website, said: “Commentators and news outlets known to be critical of Pope Francis are styling the omission as the latest chapter in what they see as the Vatican’s appeasement of China and its communist leadership, generally linking it to a deal signed two years ago and shortly up for review that afforded Chinese authorities a role in the nomination of Catholic bishops.

“Pundits and outlets known to be supportive of Francis, on the other hand, are defending the decision to drop the text as a sign of the pope’s commitment to dialogue and also a sign of his deft diplomatic and geopolitical instincts.’’