Head of China’s state-backed Catholic church will visit Hong Kong as ties with Vatican are strained

By KANIS LEUNG
Associated Press

HONG KONG (AP) — The Hong Kong Roman Catholic diocese says that the leader of China’s Communist Party-sponsored version of the Catholic church will visit Hong Kong this month at the invitation of the city’s pope-appointed cardinal. The visit fosters dialogue between the sides as relations between China and the Vatican remain strained.  Joseph Li, the state-appointed archbishop of Beijing, will take a five-day trip to Hong Kong starting on Nov. 14 at the invitation of the city’s newly appointed cardinal Stephen Chow. Chow made the invitation during his landmark trip to Beijing in April, the first visit to the Chinese capital by the city’s bishop in nearly three decades.