China-Vatican: Hong Kong Catholics hope to play a mediating role
Hong Kong (AsiaNews/SCMP) Hong Kong's Catholic diocese hopes to act as a mediator between China and the Vatican. Talks in view of organising an exhibit of Vatican artefacts in Hong Kong in 2006 could be the opportunity for such mediation.
Father Lawrence Lee Len, chancellor of the Hong Kong Diocese, said the local Catholic leadership would be willing to act as go-between with the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Beijing should the planned cultural event take place.
The talks about the exhibit, which were initiated by Home Affairs Secretary Patrick Ho Chi-ping, have raised hope that they might extend to hitherto strained China-Vatican relations.
Beijing still denies Rome the right to have any ties to Chinese Catholics and, through its own Catholic Patriotic Association, claims the right to appoint bishops and administer the official Church. Conversely, this is unacceptable to the Vatican which however is prepared to go as far as breaking diplomatic ties with Taiwan to accommodate China's needs.
The arts would thus be the ideal neutral ground, far from the thorny issue of who is in charge of the Church in China, and could open the door to a less tense relationship. According to a source close to the Vatican the event would be significant to the extent that "any time is the right time for diplomacy and improving Sino-Vatican relations, whether on the football field or the tennis table, or, as it is in this case, through the arts." Let us not forget that it was by way of not-so-political events like cricket matches that tensions between India and Pakistan were reduced.
In this context Hong Kong is ideally placed to act as a mediator. On the basis of the principle of "one country, two systems," the former British colony is free to have ties with the Vatican. This is not the case of Mainland China. It is hoped that as an open city with a large Catholic community (more than 250,000), Hong Kong could be the first stop of a Vatican Art Exhibit on a China-wide tour.
Such a role is in fact indispensable if Hong Kong Catholics want to freely profess their faith and Beijing not see in Rome a threat to its authority. A cultural exchange like this one, mediated by local Catholics, could encourage mutual trust.
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19/04/2007
