|PIC1|The outspoken head of Hong Kong’s Catholic Church, Cardinal Joseph Zen, announced on Wednesday plans to retire early next year.

Cardinal Zen, a fervent advocate of democracy and religious freedom, said he would focus on serving the Church in mainland China after his retirement.

"I want to devote more time to the churches in the mainland, because they are very big and very complicated," he told local broadcaster RTHK, according to AFP news agency.

The Cardinal stressed that he would not involve himself in sorting out diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Beijing, but said he hoped his successor Coadjutor Bishop John Tong would help improve ties.

"I have always hoped that through our voices, state leaders will understand that genuine religious freedom will definitely work towards the interest of the country," he said.

Since his appointment as head of the Hong Kong Church, Cardinal Zen has been an outspoken critic of Beijing’s interference in the affairs of the Roman Catholic Church in China. The Vatican and the Chinese Government remain at odds over who controls the Church in China, while believers on the ground are divided between the official state-sanctioned Church and the underground church loyal to the Holy See.

Cardinal Zen said two previous requests to leave the post had been refused by Pope Benedict XVI.

“I applied the first time when I was 75 and it was not approved. At 76, I applied for the second time and it was also turned down," he told RTHK.

"But fortunately, this time, I am nearly 77 and the Pope said OK. In principle, it has been approved.”

He said he planned to step down in the next few months.

There are some 250,000 Catholics in the Hong Kong Diocese.