A new report from Reuters has revealed that the arrests of two middle-aged catholic nuns detained in May in China mainland while visiting their families in Hubei province is an indication that the China’s communist government is increasing its pressure on the Catholic Church in Hong Kong following the passage of the National Security Law.
The National Security Law gives the mainland jurisdiction in the small island of Hong Kong.
Three weeks after their arrest, the nuns were released into house arrest and banned from leaving mainland China.
Christian leaders on the island see the detention as a sign that the Chinese government wants the Catholic Church in the country to shut down.
According to the report, the Chinese government is trying to influence Hong Kong in choosing its next bishop, a post that’s been vacant since the previous prelate’s death in 2018. Senior Hong Kong clergy members revealed that Chinese authorities are attempting to invoke a two-year-old agreement with the Vatican that would allow Beijing a say in prelate appointments.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, former bishop of Hong Kong, told Reuters: “We are at the bottom of the pit — there is no freedom of expression anymore.”
He went on to say crackdowns on religious liberty “are normal” in mainland China, adding: “We are becoming like any other city in China.”
Cardinal Zen, an outspoken advocate for religious liberty, revealed that Chinese authorities can take “any word” someone says and claim they are “offending the National Security Law.”
The anti-religious pressure from Beijing has already had a chilling effect on believers in Hong Kong.
Cardinal John Tong, acting head of the local church in Hong Kong, has been trying to quiet activist voices in the Catholic hierarchy, according to the Reuters report.
The 81-year-old cleric has urged priests to avoid delivering sermons that are “too political,” adding they should stay away from language that might cause “social disorder.”
Among other things, the newly enacted National Security Law criminalizes secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign or external forces.
