Just over a week after the arrest of a cardinal in Hong Kong, Pope Francis has prayed for the faithful in China.
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Francis said he was "attentively and actively following the often complex life and situations of the faithful and pastors," the head of the Catholic Church told scores of faithful in St Peter's Square in Rome on Sunday after the traditional Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven) Marian prayer.
"I invite all of you to unite yourselves in this prayer so that the Church in China, in freedom and tranquillity, might live in effective communion with the universal Church, and might exercise its mission of proclaiming the gospel to everyone, and thus offer a positive contribution to the spiritual and material progress of society as well," the 85-year-old continued.
On May 11, Hong Kong Bishop Emeritus Cardinal Joseph Zen was arrested.
The Holy See expressed concern about the incident.
Zen was released on bail a short time later.
The 90-year-old was accused of violating the controversial National Security Act.
Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin - the Vatican's number two - called the arrest extremely unfortunate, according to Vatican News.
The Vatican agreed a deal with officials in Beijing in 2018 to appoint bishops in China, which is due to expire on October 22, 2022.
Parolin did not see any danger for this but hoped that the path of dialogue between the Holy See and China would not become even more complicated.
Zen has criticised the Chinese Communist Party and the agreement in the past.
Australian Associated Press