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July 29, 2020 A group of hackers linked to the Chinese government would have infiltrated the Vatican's computer network, including that of the Hong Kong Study Mission, considered as the de facto representation of the Holy See in the former British colony. The complaint comes from a US cyber-security company, Recorded Future, which traces the beginning of cyber intrusions by a group of hackers, called RedDelta, which is believed to be connected to Beijing last May.

 According to the US company report, communications between the diocese of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Study Mission itself are among the objectives of the hacking. Another target would be the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) and the methods and tools used to conduct the attacks would be similar to those used for other hacking operations conducted in the past by groups of hackers believed to be connected to the Chinese government. The aim of the attacks would be to obtain "useful information on the Vatican's negotiating positions" in view of the renewal, by next September, of the preliminary agreement reached between Beijing and the Holy See in September 2018 on the appointment of bishops. The intrusion into the networks of the diocese of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Study Mission, the report continues, "would also provide a valid source of intelligence both for monitoring the relations of the diocese with the Vatican and for its position with respect to the pro-movement. Hong Kong democracy ", after protests over the months and Beijing's recent imposition of the national security law in the city.