Subject: 'austraLasia' #426

CHINA: SALESIAN BISHOP RESISTS OFFICIAL BEIJING LINE ON NEW SAINTS

HONG KONG: 11th October -- Bishop Joseph Zen, former Salesian Provincial, now coadjutor Bishop to Cardinal Wu in Hong Kong, has taken a strong line in defence of the Church following the official Beijing reaction to the recent canonization of 120 martyrs, including two Salesians. Writing in both the Chinese Daily 'Ming Pao' and the South China Morning Post, Bishop Zen resisted the insistence of Beijing that contacts between the Church in Hong Kong and that over the border (even with the Patriotic Church) was 'interference'. He was reported as saying that 'Beijing feared cross-border exchanges between Catholics would damage patriotism and respect for the Government'. Bishop Zen claimed that even the official Patriotic Church contained many who were loyal to the Holy See, and that the local Church could not be expected to abandon them nor to simply label them all as 'schismatic' when the reality is different.

The present heightening of tension between Beijing and the local Church of Hong Kong has arisen because of the canonization of 120 martyrs by Pope John Paul on 1st October, also China's National Day. The Hong Kong Church's decision to go ahead with celebrations of the event was seen as 'resistance by the Catholic Church and even 'defiance'. 'Why call use the word defy?' Bishop Zen asked. 'We just tell the truth'.