Pope voices hope church in China can operate in freedom

By FRANCES D’EMILIO
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has expressed his spiritual closeness to Catholics in China and voiced hope that the church there operates in “freedom and tranquility.’’ But in his remarks on Sunday to the public in St. Peter’s Square he made no mention of a 90-year-old cardinal who was arrested in Hong Kong earlier this month. Francis added that he carefully is following “the life and the matters of the faithful and pastors,” which he described as being often “complex.” He said he prays daily for the Catholics in China. Cardinal Joseph Zen, a critic of the Vatican’s latest deal with China, was arrested on May 11 and released later that day.