Chinese bishops and religious leaders briefed senior Hong Kong Catholic clergymen on President Xi Jinping's vision of religion with "Chinese characteristics" in an unprecedented meeting organized by the mainland's representative office in the city, according to four clerics.
The clerics who attended or had knowledge of the Oct. 31 meeting described it as Beijing's most assertive move yet in its attempts to influence Hong Kong’s diocese, which is answerable to the Vatican and includes some high-ranking leaders who have long been defenders of democracy and human rights in the semi-autonomous territory.
While Hong Kong's Catholic leaders have met their mainland counterparts individually in the past, it was the first time the two sides had met formally — and the first time mainland religious officials had instigated such a meeting, the clerics said.