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Lai's arrest means Hong Kong church leaders are under threat

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Still, this is hardly the first time the Church — not just in Hong Kong but also the Vatican itself — has pandered to the CCP over Hong Kong in its attempts to head off its own version of Armageddon: the introduction of the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) into the diocese.

This was most clearly demonstrated by the leaked and unconfirmed news that Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, a critic of Beijing, freedom activist and supporter of last year’s street protests, has been passed over to succeed the late Michael Yeung Ming-cheung as bishop of Hong Kong. Instead, Rev. Peter Choy Wai-man, who is decidedly pro-Beijing, is expected to be handed the job.