Pope Francis on Sunday expressed his spiritual closeness to Catholics in China, voicing hope that the church there operates in “freedom and tranquility,’’ but making no mention of a 90-year-old cardinal who was recently arrested in Hong Kong.
Addressing the public gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the pontiff's traditional Sunday remarks, Francis noted that the church celebrates, on May 24, the “Blessed Mother Mary, Help of Christians,’’ and recalled that Mary is the patron of Catholics in China.
