Posted on 12/30/2021 2:11:03 PM PST by ebb tide
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese bishops and religious leaders briefed senior Hong Kong Catholic clergymen on President Xi Jinping's vision of religion with "Chinese characteristics" in an unprecedented meeting organised by the mainland's representative office in the city, according to four clerics.
The clerics who attended or had knowledge of the Oct 31 meeting described it as Beijing's most assertive move yet in its attempts to influence Hong Kong’s diocese, which is answerable to the Vatican and includes some high-ranking leaders who have long been defenders of democracy and human rights in the semi-autonomous territory.
While Hong Kong's Catholic leaders have met their mainland counterparts individually in the past, it was the first time the two sides had met formally - and the first time mainland religious officials had instigated such a meeting, the clerics said.
Despite the meeting's symbolism, the mainland officials and religious leaders generally avoided an overtly political message, they said.
The meeting, which has not been revealed publicly, also sheds light on what some religious figures, politicians and diplomats describe as the expanding role of Beijing's Central Government Liaison Office in Hong Kong, which formally represents the mainland in the city but has traditionally kept a low profile.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Barf Alert Ping
What has happened to the Underground Catholics?
There is no news at all anymore. Have they gone into hiding as the Japanese Catholics did during the Omigachi era.
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