China drops ban on outspoken bishop Zen
Hong Kong(AsiaNews/AP) - China invited the head of Hong Kong's Catholic church to return to his hometown of Shanghai last week, lifting a six-year ban on one of Beijing's most outspoken critics, a newspaper reported Tuesday. Bishop Joseph Zen, who was barred from the mainland in 1998, met with government officials and Shanghai's Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian during a three-day trip that ended Friday, the South China Morning Post reported.
The report did not say what was discussed during the meetings. Zen confirmed the Post report Tuesday, but declined further comment.
The Catholic leader also visited a seminary where he once taught and visited his brother-in-law's grave with his 80-year-old sister, the report said.
Beijing doesn't recognize the Vatican and Christians on the mainland are only allowed to worship at state-sanctioned churches. Zen is a vocal critic of China's suppression of underground churches loyal to the Vatican, which scholars have estimated serve about half of at least 12 million faithful in the country.
Although Hong Kong's Catholic diocese is loyal to the pope, China allows the territory's 300,000 followers to practice their faith freely in a special arrangement that preserves Western-style freedoms introduced when Hong Kong was under British rule.
Zen was among the leading opponents of an anti-subversion bill that China wanted passed but that the government _ faced with overwhelming public pressure _ was forced to drop last year. He warned that the bill could allow the persecution of Hong Kong's faithful because of their ties to illegal mainland churches.
He has also criticized Beijing for slowing the pace of Hong Kong's democratic reform. The South China Morning Post said Tuesday that Zen praised Beijing for allowing him back, saying the move reflected the openness of China's President Hu Jintao. Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao assumed office last year in a leadership change that some believe may signal a softening of Beijing's authoritarian rule. "I appreciate the sincerity and friendliness mainland authorities have shown and I hope this is the first step toward more communication," he said. "At least trust still exists between us."
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