The "612 Fund" was arrested by the police on the grounds of "conspiracy with foreign forces". The Catholic Hong Kong Diocese Emeritus Bishop Chen Rijun, who is being released on bail pending investigation, attended the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in the Vatican earlier. Pope Francis met at his residence. When Francis received an interview with foreign media, he described the 91-year-old Chen Rijun as a "gentle soul" and a "charismatic old man". After copying, "started to cry, crying like a child".
Chen Rijun received a private interview with Pope Francis, described the meeting as wonderful: thank you for appointing a good bishop for Hong Kong
Chen Rijun was born in Shanghai and spent his childhood in Shanghai. In Sino-Vatican relations, Chen Rijun is regarded as a "conservative hardliner" who opposes any concession that violates principles.
In 2018, the Holy See and the mainland reached a secret agreement on the appointment of bishops. As a cardinal, Chen Rijun severely criticized the mainland for imprisoning clergy and suppressing the church.
Francis: To protect the Christians in the mainland, we must be patient and continue dialogue
During the interview, Francis said that dialogue with Beijing must be patient, because Catholics are a minority in the mainland, and to protect them, dialogue must continue.
Regarding the future Sino-Vatican relations, Francis described that there has been progress. At present, "every appointment of a bishop is under a magnifying glass... It is important that the Sino-Vatican dialogue does not break down." Francis also pointed out that the Beijing government has Sometimes it is a bit closed, but sometimes it is not; when asked whether the Holy See's maintenance of diplomatic relations with Taiwan will affect the dialogue with Beijing, Francis avoided answering.
In 2020, the request to see the Pope was rejected, and the funeral of Benedict XVI was received
In 2020, Chen Rijun was worried that the Holy See would favor Beijing when selecting a Hong Kong bishop. At that time, he went to the Vatican to see the Pope, but he was not received.
In May last year, Chen Rijun was arrested for the "612 Fund case". The Holy See issued a statement expressing concern and paying close attention to the development of the situation.
At the beginning of this month, Chen Rijun went to the Vatican to attend the funeral of Benedict XVI. He was invited by Francis to meet with him and received a rosary and books. Chen described Francis as very warm and the meeting was wonderful.
During the meeting, Chen also thanked Francis for appointing Zhou Shouren as the bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong. He described Zhou as a good bishop, and Francis smiled after hearing this.
▼On January 4, Chen Rijun appeared at Hong Kong International Airport to go to the Vatican▼
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Chen Rijun's 91st birthday food, beautiful cake, thanks and blessings in three languages︱Chen Rijun received a private interview with Pope Francis in the political arena, described the meeting as wonderful: thanks for the appointment of a good bishop for Hong Kong The airport declined to visit Chen Rijun to obtain a passport to attend the funeral of Benedict XVI. Officials allowed to leave Hong Kong for 5 days from tomorrow There are 270 million deposited in the account. Chen Rijun said that he never thought of being a bishop. A message to young people: be a person of integrity and understand justice. Concerned about Chen Rijun's safety and promoting the police is just and reasonable. 4 trustees of the "612 Fund" are released on bail. The Vatican is worried about Chen Rijun's arrest.