Pope Francis said on Sunday he was “
carefully
” following the “
problems
” and “
often complicated existence
” of Catholics in China, without explicitly mentioning the brief arrest in Hong Kong of a 90-year-old cardinal who is a figure in the pro-democracy movement. .
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"
I carefully and actively follow the often complicated existence and problems of the faithful and pastors, and I pray for them every day
," the pope told the crowd gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.
Francis took the opportunity to assure “
once more
” the Catholics of China of his “
spiritual closeness
” with them.
On May 11 in Hong Kong, retired Cardinal Joseph Zen, one of the oldest Catholic prelates in Asia, was arrested along with three other activists of the pro-democracy movement, for "
collusion with foreign forces
".
All four were released on bail a few hours later.
They were arrested for having participated in the management of a now dissolved fund, the "
612 Humanitarian Relief Fund
", intended to finance the defense of activists arrested during the huge pro-democracy demonstrations which shook the former British colony in 2019.
The Vatican had expressed its concern after the arrest of the cardinal, declaring “
to follow very carefully the development of the situation
”.
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Cardinal Zen had notably criticized the Vatican's decision to reach a compromise with China regarding the appointment of bishops in mainland China.
The Vatican was later accused of downplaying the scope of his arrest.
