Vatican down to earth on HK

The Vatican stays silent on Hong Kong affairs because "grandstanding" statements are not effective in improving the situation, says the Vatican's foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher.

In an interview with US weekly magazine America, Gallagher said the Vatican does not have a diplomatic policy of denunciation almost anywhere in the world and there are human rights abuses in many, many countries.

He was responding to criticism that the Vatican has remained silent on China's alleged repression of the Uygurs in Xinjiang and the democracy movement in Hong Kong.

Gallagher, who is the Holy See's Secretary for Relations with States, described the Hong Kong Catholic community as significantly divided on the policy as the community consists of both Beijing loyalists and "people who would like greater freedom and greater exceptions for Hong Kong."

He added: "Again, I don't think that grandstanding statements can be terribly effective. I think you have to ask what effect a statement is going to have?

"Is it going to produce a positive change, or does it make the situation more complicated for the local church and for relations with the Holy See? At the moment, we feel that's the right approach."

Since the death of Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung in 2019, there has been a long delay in appointing a successor as the head of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong.

Auxiliary bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing was originally favored by the Vatican to succeed Yeung, but the appointment was reportedly reversed after he was photographed at pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Gallagher said the Holy See is anxious to appoint a bishop but the process is "complex and presents difficulties."

He does not know if an appointment is on the horizon, as the responsibility for the appointment is with another Vatican office - the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.