The leader of Hong Kong's 500,000 Catholics has spoken of growing control of the Church by the government on the Chinese mainland.
Speaking to Victor Gaetang for National Catholic Register, which is running a series on the state of the Catholic Church in Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong, Bishop of Hong Kong Michael Yeung Ming-cheung said that the Church still maintains its freedom.
The former British colony became a special administrative region of China under the principle of "one country, two systems" in 1997. The Catholic Church, which is heavily involved in education, sponsoring many schools, is attracting about 3,000 new adult converts each year.
Bishop Yeung said: "The basic thing is that, in Hong Kong, people have different concepts of the phrase 'one country, two systems'.
Some people worry, “There will not be two systems anymore, only one!” Other people, on the other side, say, 'Wait a minute, when you talk about two systems, are you trying to separate the two systems entirely, like you are seeking independence? Then, let’s not talk about it, because it’s absolutely not allowed!' On this, too, it is too early to say.
"Are we becoming more controlled by the government? I think, yes, but the Church still maintains its freedom and liberty for all activities."
He also said he viewed the Church in China – the government's official patriotic Church and the unofficial "underground" Church – as just one Church.
He spoke out as a new report on human rights in Hong Kong by Lord Ashdown of Norton Sub-Hamdon is published by Hong Kong Watch today.
The report is based on Lord Ashdown’s recent visit to Hong Kong in November. During the visit, Lord Ashdown, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats, heard from legislators, legal experts and political activists in Hong Kong. He is presenting the findings of the report at an event in Parliament tomorrow.
Lord Ashdown, a Patron of Hong Kong Watch, said: "Will China enhance their soft-power if they continue to erode Hong Kong’s autonomy and freedoms, thereby breaching an international treaty?" A year before the handover of Hong Kong, then Prime Minister Sir John Major promised Hong Kong that “if there were any suggestion of a breach of the Joint Declaration, we would have a duty to pursue every legal and other avenue available to us,” and that “Hong Kong will never have to walk alone”.
Lord Ashdown said: “Legislators, legal experts and activists that I spoke to expressed concerns about the direction of travel: the situation appears likely to worsen in the coming years unless the people of Hong Kong and international governments unify to protect the rights of those living there.”
The report says: "What happens next in Hong Kong will be judged by a watching world, for it will tell us whether the rise of Xi Jinping leads to a new more modern China, or back to an old more repressive one."
(Pic: Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung greets the congregation after celebrating Mass Aug. 5 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Hong Kong. Bishop Yeung was appointed bishop of Hong Kong by Pope Francis Aug. 1, succeeding Cardinal John Tong Hon. Credit: CNS photo/Jerome Favre, EPA)
Loading ...
