Vatican secretary of state hosting meeting on church in China

Published: 2007-01-18

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican secretary of state was hosting a Jan. 19-20 meeting of Chinese Catholic and Roman Curia officials to discuss the situation of the church in China, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman. He told reporters Jan. 18 that the participants were attending from "China and interested Vatican agencies" and that a statement would be issued at the end of the meeting. Father Lombardi said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the secretary of state, was chairing the meeting. He declined to name other participants, but sources said Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong was expected to attend, as well as officials from the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The Rome-based AsiaNews agency reported Jan. 18 that the participants also were to include retired Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi of Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Bishop Jose Lai Hung-seng of Macau; Hong Kong Auxiliary Bishop John Tong Hon; and Anthony Lam Sui-ki, a China expert from the Holy Spirit Study Center in Hong Kong.

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