He dismissed concerns that his visit to Beijing could be interpreted as an attempt to politicise religion.

"Everyone would like to see their own country do well; no one wants it to do badly.

"I think it's everyone's duty to be patriotic if you're a citizen in Hong Kong or mainland China," Chow said when he met the press.

The five-day visit marked Hong Kong's leading Catholic bishop's first visit to the Chinese capital since the city's return to Chinese rule in 1997.

The trip comes amidst renewed tensions between the Vatican and Beijing.

Bishop Chow led a Mass at St Joseph's Church (aka Wangfujing Catholic Church) with Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing and Vicar General Peter Choy Wai-man.

During the service, Chow emphasised the importance of loving both one's country and the church.

Chow "extending the friendship"

Chow also revealed that he had invited his Beijing counterpart, Joseph Li Shan, to visit Hong Kong. Li heads the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, a state-sponsored organisation. Chow said that Li had responded positively to the invitation.

Chow denied that his visit was an attempt to break the ice, noting that Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung had visited Beijing before the handover. Instead, he said that he was "extending the friendship."

The bishop expressed his desire for more exchanges between churches in Hong Kong and mainland China. He added that he hoped for additional visits to Beijing. However, he stated that he could not confirm that such visits would occur regularly.

When questioned by reporters about concerns with regard to politicising religion, Chow said, "I'm not too worried. The most important thing is we do it out of our conscience, and we can see the holy God has invited us to do so."

Chow also confirmed that he had not heard of any plans for the Vatican to move its Hong Kong office to Beijing.

Later, Bishop Chow met with parishioners at a cafe in Beijing before returning to Hong Kong.

Sources

South China Morning Post

AP News

CathNews New Zealand

The diocese needs to raise a total of HK$1 billion for development activities.

The Hong Kong Diocesan Fundraising Commission for Church Building and Development organised the "725 Rope Skipping Fun Day" event at St Joseph's Anglo-Chinese School.

The event was presided over by Hong Kong Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan and attended by more than 200 children, parents, teachers, staff of Caritas Hong Kong and other members of participating religious institutions.

"Young people have a lot of good qualities for us to learn from. Among them is courage in the face of difficulties," the bishop said during the event.

He also thanked the organisers, participants, sponsors and donors for their generosity and efforts.

The event was supported by the Catholic Religious Schools Council and Caritas Hong Kong-Vocational Training and Education Service, along with the diocesan secondary and primary schools as well as kindergartens.

As of July 26, the event has raised HK$2.6 million (NZ$528,500) and public donations are open until mid-August through the fund-raising website of the commission.

Funds raised through these events are to be used by the diocese for the construction of parish buildings and maintenance of old buildings that are under the diocese for posterity.

"Let's pray for God's guidance for this event which encourages constant exercises, unites Catholic schools, promotes concern for Church development and passes on the great love of God," said Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, the fundraising commission's chairperson.

Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous city, was a British colony from 1843 until its handover to China in 1997.

Under the Sino-British Joint Declaration, Hong Kong enjoyed a higher degree of autonomy and basic rights such as independent judiciary and legislature in the ‘one country, two systems' framework.

Catholics number about 500,000 of Hong Kong's estimated 7.5 million residents.

Source

• UCA News

At the same time, Hong Kong's new bishop has underlined the importance of protecting human dignity.

Speaking anonymously during an online discussion, the cleric said the freedom of religious schools is particularly under threat.

The cleric, identified only as Reverend L, told the Hudson Institute's Nina Shea on February 10 that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) appears to be using ideological tactics, such as education, to chip away at the freedom of religion in Hong Kong.

"In terms of restricting the rights of religious freedom, the CCP is doing it step-by-step," Reverend L said. He noted that China has imposed severe restrictions on the rights of assembly, the press and speech in Hong Kong in recent years.

"Freedom of religion is the only remaining freedom in Hong Kong at this moment," he said.

In contrast to mainland China, where religious believers of all stripes are routinely restricted, citizens of Hong Kong have historically enjoyed freedom of religion.

However, religious freedom has been particularly eroded in Hong Kong since 2019, due to the CCP's efforts to control the populace through an "ideological war", Reverend L commented.

In his first interview since he was ordained to lead the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan underlined the importance of protecting human dignity.

"I find it unacceptable for human dignity to be ignored, trampled upon, or eliminated entirely. God gave us this dignity when he created us in his image and likeness. And therefore it is universal because it comes from the love of God," Chow said, according to the Italian magazine Mondo e Missione (World and Mission).

The 62-year-old was consecrated as a bishop in Hong Kong's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on December 4.

"I do not live by public opinion. Otherwise, I would not be free to discern God's will and have inner freedom. Mine is a balancing act, and I find this stimulating," Chow said.

He explained that he does not see himself as a diplomat because he is a bishop, and that is a distinct role.

"I am not a diplomat; a bishop is not that. Sure, sometimes we have to be diplomatic, but my main concern is discerning God's will," he said.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

Catholic News Agency

Bishop-elect Stephen Chow Sau-yan told journalists that he did not think it would be wise to comment on especially controversial issues, particularly on China, the day after his appointment.

"That would be rash," he said. "But it is not because I am afraid, but, I think, I believe that prudence is also a virtue."

During the 45-minute press conference, organized by the Diocese of Hong Kong, Chow responded to questions about religious freedom in Hong Kong.

This is at a time when the region is being tested after the passage of national security laws.

"For me, religious freedom is a basic right," Chow said.

He added that he believed Cardinal John Tong Hon, the diocese's apostolic administrator since January 2019, had encouraged the government not to forget the importance of allowing the practice of all faiths.

With "Beijing, I believe that we must also start also with a sense of - we don't assume they are enemies. So how can we, through our faith have some dialogue, have some understanding together," the bishop-elect said.

The people of Hong Kong have historically enjoyed freedom of worship and evangelization. While in mainland China there is a long history of persecution for Christians who run afoul of the government.

The Diocese of Hong Kong has been without a permanent bishop since January 2019. Since then, millions of people in Hong Kong, including many Catholics, participated in large-scale pro-democracy protests.

The Chinese government also gained the power to suppress the movement with the passage of national security laws.

When asked if he would publicly mark the June 4 anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, the bishop-elect said that this "depends on the legal requirements."

Chow said the church will adopt a position of "passive co-operation" in politics as the city grapples with the fall-out from months of protest and the imposition of a wide-ranging national security law by Beijing.

"I pray for China. I pray for all those who have passed in 1989."

Chow said he thought that "listening and empathy" was very important to heal the divisions within Hong Kong. He added that "unity is not the same as uniformity."

"I've just been appointed. I really have no grand plan of how to unify. But, I do believe there is a God, and God wants us to be united," he said.

Sources

Catholic News Agency

Hong Kong Free Press

America Magazine