A REMARK by Pope John Paul and an irate response from China has highlighted new tensions in the uneasy relationship between Beijing and Rome as the Chinese communist government prepares to absorb Hong Kong.
China yesterday warned the Vatican not to interfere in its religious affairs, following a statement by Pope John Paul on Monday that the Vatican would be closely watching how Catholics in Hong Kong were treated after the British colony reverted to Beijing in July.
The Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in Hong Kong, with 50 orders, three bishops, 300 schools and a quarter of a million adherents, many of whom hold high office. In China there are estimated to be millions of Catholics, many in underground churches, though no one knows the precise figure.
"We would hope to have no interference in our religious affairs ... not only in missionary work, but also in the appointments of bishops," a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mr Shen Guofang, said in Beijing. "These should all be independently determined by China and there should be no interference by the Vatican."
Speaking in his annual "state of the world" address to diplomats at the Vatican, the Pope said the Holy See would be monitoring events in Hong Kong after the Chinese take-over. "By reason of the size and vitality of the Catholic community in the territory, the Holy See will follow with particular interest this new state," he said. He trusted that "respect for differences, for the fundamental rights of the human person and for the rule of law will accompany this new journey forward".
The Pope recently appointed Shanghai-born Monsignor Joseph Zen (64), as coadjutor bishop of Hong Kong, with the right to succeed Cardinal Joseph Wu as Catholic leader of Hong Kong. This ensures that after the change in sovereignty, the Pope, rather than the Chinese government, has determined the immediate succession in the territory.
The Vatican is not allowed to appoint Catholic bishops in China and will almost certainly have to consult Beijing over future appointments in post-colonial Hong Kong. China does not allow its Catholics to recognise the Popes authority. It requires that they belong to the state-controlled Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Those Catholics loyal to the Pope worship secretly.
Beijing regards Catholic churches as breeding grounds for dissent and bans direct links with Catholic orders, even though priests or bishops may belong to them. Protestants can officially worship only in government-sanctioned "three-selves" churches, self-established, self-supporting and self-proselytising.
There are some 70 "official" bishops in the Catholic Church in China, all appointed by the communist government. Their congregations sometimes pray for the Pope, but only as another bishop, not as a figure of authority.
There are also some 60 to 70 "unofficial" bishops in China, some of whose individual activities are tolerated by local authorities, according to a Catholic Church source in Hong Kong. But those who have tried to organise openly have been jailed. Some of the "official" bishops are secretly reconciled with Rome, the source claimed, and they allow "unofficial" student-priests in their seminaries.
Restrictions on religion in China were eased in the last 15 years and some estimates put the number of Christians in the country at 30 million. Many Catholic orders have members in teaching posts in China but they are required to promise not to attempt to make converts.
Beijing has pledged to allow religious freedom in Hong Kong under the Basic Law, the legal blueprint under which China guarantees that the territory will keep its current freedoms for 50 years. This assurance has officially been accepted. Ms Mary Seung, director of the Catholic Social Communications Office, said: "We've had contacts with the Chinese authorities and they've guaranteed that the Catholic community can continue its work in social services and the schools."
Some Catholic agencies are, however, leaving Hong Kong prior to the hand-over. Others are going through files to safeguard secrets. "They're moving out sensitive stuff which could compromise the underground church in China," a priest told me.
"The general feeling is that there probably won't be any change for two or three years, but after that they could make things very difficult," he said. "They could put up rates, reclaim what is now Crown land where we have houses, and prevent us running our own schools, hospitals and social services." The Evangelical Lutheran Church has begun buying property of its own so that it can guarantee a place of worship.
The appointment of a co adjudicator bishop brings the number of Roman Catholic bishops in Hong Kong to three, the highest number ever. The Vatican move was designed to ensure that the Church leaders in Hong Kong did not feel isolated and susceptible to pressure under Chinese rule a Church source said.
"The Pope's concern is necessary because this is the biggest Chinese diocese in the world," Mr Anthony Lam, executive director of the Holy Spirit Study Centre, said. "The relationship between the Hong Kong government and the diocese is harmonious. The community and China must work to maintain that harmony after 1997."
Catholics have a disproportionate representation at top official and political levels in Hong Kong. They include the Democratic Party leader, Mr Martin Lee. Governor Chris Patten is also a Catholic.
Cardinal Wu presided over an annual pageant of judges in the Catholic cathedral on Monday, an event which would be unthinkable in China.
Eight Catholics sit on the Selection Committee, a China-appointed body setting up new authorities in Hong Kong, but the church allowed them to participate only in their personal capacity
As if to make the case for Beijing that giving allegiance to Rome could compromise Chinese politics, the Pope agreed to meet Taiwan's vice-president, Mr Lien Chan, the highest-ranking Taiwanese official to visit the Vatican. China regards Taiwan as a rebel province and has urged the Vatican to cut ties.
. China told Taiwan yesterday to be on its guard against Tibet's god-king, the Dalai Lama, warning that the exiled religious leader was "a splittist".