Hong Kong cardinal's arrest spotlights secretive Vatican-China dealFILE PHOTO: Retired bishop Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun attends the episcopal ordination of Bishop Stephen Chow in Hong Kong, Dec 4, 2021. (Reuters)The arrest of a 90-year-old cardinal under Hong Kong's national security law has shocked the city's Catholic community as the Vatican seeks to renew a secretive deal with Beijing. Many underground church supporters resided in Hong Kong, a separate diocese in a city where religious freedom remains, for now. Xia Baolong, a hardliner who led the latter campaign against churches, is now the top Chinese official for Hong Kong policy. But few analysts and observers expect the Vatican to be moved to reassess its rapprochement with Beijing over Zen's arrest.

Source: Bangkok Post May 23, 2022 21:03 UTC