Father Peter Choi Wai-man, 66, serves as vicar general of the Hong Kong Diocese and has long been viewed as a sympathetic figure to Chinese authorities.
Newsroom (03/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) A planned pilgrimage to Rome by a prominent Hong Kong priest with deep ties to Beijing’s communist leadership has been abruptly canceled, amid leaks that exposed an alleged push to install him as an auxiliary bishop in the territory’s Catholic diocese.
Father Peter Choi Wai-man, 66, serves as vicar general of the Hong Kong Diocese and has long been viewed as a sympathetic figure to Chinese authorities. He was slated to join Cardinal John Tong Hon, the emeritus bishop of Hong Kong, and a delegation of 10 others for a Saturday audience with Pope Leo XIV. Church sources in Hong Kong confirmed to the National Catholic Register that airfare had been secured, with the group arriving “with an agenda” tied to ecclesiastical appointments.
The trip fell apart at the eleventh hour on October 2, after media reports surfaced detailing the itinerary, according to the same insider. Italian Catholic outlet La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana first broke the story on September 27, citing Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan of Hong Kong as the driving force behind efforts to elevate Father Choi. The report alleged that during a private September 2 audience with Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Chow advocated for Choi’s appointment as a second auxiliary bishop, despite the diocese already having one in Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing—whom Beijing and local officials reportedly deem overly critical of the regime.
This development comes as Cardinal Chow faces scrutiny for his public defense of Church-state relations in Hong Kong. Last week, he emphasized the territory’s ties with China while minimizing reports of tightening religious freedoms, even as observers note an uptick in “Sinicization” measures—government initiatives to align religious practices with socialist values. These include integrating patriotic education into Catholic schools and broader encroachments on Church autonomy, signaling Beijing’s intent to subsume Hong Kong’s diocese, which remains outside mainland China’s jurisdiction, into its sphere of influence.
In a more optimistic light, Cardinal Chow’s September 2 meeting with Pope Leo XIV—his first in-depth exchange with the pontiff since the May 2025 election—has been hailed as a potential turning point for Sino-Vatican dialogue. Speaking to the Sunday Examiner, Chow described the encounter as equipping the pope with “a fuller picture and a better understanding of the current state of China-Vatican relations.” He added that Leo XIV “recognizes the importance of dialogue between the Church and the mainland authorities and considers respectful communication a priority in addressing challenges in China-Vatican relations.”
Yet the push for Father Choi’s elevation has reignited longstanding divisions within Hong Kong’s Catholic community. Critics, including younger clergy and lay faithful, portray Choi not as a bridge-builder but as a conduit for Beijing’s interests, allegedly relaying internal Church intelligence to authorities. Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Hong Kong’s bishop emeritus from 2001 to 2009 and a vocal foe of Chinese overreach, once branded Choi a “pro-Beijing hawk” whose appointment would spell “a catastrophe” for the local Church and “disaster for decades to come.”
Choi’s supporters highlight his contributions to clerical formation, ecumenical outreach, and lay leadership. In 2022, then-Bishop Chow tasked him with leading a working group to bolster diocesan governance. But detractors point to a 2019 episode when Cardinal Tong backed Choi as a successor to the late Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung, only for Chow himself to be appointed instead—sidestepping both Choi and the more protest-sympathetic Bishop Ha.
Neither Cardinal Tong nor Father Choi responded to requests for comment on the canceled trip or related allegations by press time. The Hong Kong Diocese issued a brief statement on Choi’s behalf, declining to discuss “personal itineraries.”
The episode unfolds against a darkening backdrop for religious liberties in Hong Kong. Proposed prison regulations, set for implementation soon, would empower authorities to bar specific inmates from pastoral visits by clergy or lawyers—a move sources say targets figures like Catholic pro-democracy icon Jimmy Lai, the media tycoon imprisoned since 2020 on national security charges. Lai, who has battled health woes in custody, relies on such visits for spiritual and legal support. “The law is clearly aimed at lawyers who are not only handling the case but also helping deal with personal matters,” a Hong Kong Church source told the Register.
While bans on social visits are authorized under the rules, they have yet to be enforced, the source noted. Broader concerns echo warnings in Catholic commentary: Eroding trust could foster a “state-controlled ‘franchise Church,'”.
As Beijing’s grip tightens, the canceled Rome journey underscores the high-stakes maneuvering at play—where hopes for dialogue clash with fears of capitulation. For Hong Kong’s faithful, the path forward remains as fraught as the city’s streets once were during the 2019 pro-democracy upheaval.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from NC Register
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