Associated Press

Hong Kong, April 3:

The head of Hong Kong’s Roman Catholic Church said today that Pope John Paul II’s greatest wish was to visit China and criticised Beijing for not launching talks with the Vatican, which it currently doesn’t recognise.

China demands that Cath-olics worship only in state-controlled churches, and Beijing does not recognise the pope’s authority over the Catholic Church. Many Chinese Catholics remain loyal to the Vatican and risk arrest by worshipping in unofficial churches and private homes.

“To visit China and maybe Russia must be the greatest desire of his heart,” Hong Kong Bishop Joseph Zen said. Zen said the late pope expressed great enthusiasm when he discussed visiting China with Zen. “He was like a child pleading with his mother, ‘I really want to go to China,”’ Zen said.

Zen said Hong Kong’s Catholic Church also failed to obtain permission from the local government for the pope to visit Hong Kong in 1999. The territory is a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with promises of civil liberties, including religious freedom. “The answer we got was it wasn’t appropriate,” he said. Zen, a critic of China, blamed Beijing for the lack of prog-ress in Sino-Vatican relations.

“The Vatican has always been eager to start talks, but unfortunately Beijing wasn’t interested,” Zen said. “The position of the pope hasn’t changed. If there is change I hope it comes from Beijing.” Zen said one obstacle is China’s demand that the Vatican renounce ties with Beijing’s rival, Taiwan. “That’s not very friendly,” he said.

Zen said he didn’t know whether the pope had secretly appointed a cardinal in China. When the pope created new cardinals in 2003, he said he was keeping one name secret. The formula has been used when a pope wants to name a cardinal in a country where the church is oppressed, leading to speculation that it could be a prelate from China.

China expresses condolence

BEIJING: China expressed condolence on Sunday over Pope John Paul II’s death and said it hoped to improve relations with his successor. The statement came as word of the death spread slowly through the capital, where congregations packed government-sanctioned churches but state-run media released only a trickle of information. “We express condolences for the passing of Pope John Paul II who died of illness,” said the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman. — AP

Dalai Lama condoles death

DHARAMSALA: The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Sunday condoled the passing away of Pope John Paul II. “The first time we met, he struck me as very practical and open, with a broad appreciation of global problems. He was a great spiritual leader,” the Dalai Lama said in a message from India’s Himachal Pradesh. “Pope John Paul II was a man I held in high regard,” he said. “I have deep appreciation for the pope’s mission to bring peace to the world.” — AFP