Church leaders make call for family values
Hongkongers needed to return to basic family values in view of worsening problems in marriages and the family, Christian leaders said in the run-up to Christmas.
In his Christmas pastoral letter to Catholics, Cardinal Joseph Zen Zekiun, head of the local Catholic diocese, said there was an urgent need for the public to address problems surrounding the family, in particular sex education for young people.
Focusing on marriage, the importance of family and the value of life, Cardinal Zen said calls to increase sex education for youngsters in light of recent tragedies should also include spiritual guidance.
'The Holy infant in the manger is crying,' Cardinal Zen said. 'Too many young people are misled. Too many families are shattered.'
A girl, 14, was arrested in connection with the death of her newborn son who fell from her 24th-floor home in Yuen Long this month.
The Catholic Church would start a movement to raise awareness of the importance of family life. Cardinal Zen said he would soon lead experts in the fields of marriage and family to introduce the church's teaching on sex education.
Anglican Archbishop Paul Kwong also focused on the family in his first Christmas message since being installed as head of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui this year.
Saying family problems such as violence, divorce and problems for the elderly had not declined despite society's efforts, Archbishop Kwong said the public should learn to forgive and accept differences in the family in order to achieve harmony.
'If we say that family problems are caused by economic pressure and difficult living conditions, we define only the external reason,' he said. 'We need to reflect upon the internal cause: the need for family members to achieve a mutual understanding, recognition and acceptance of the problems.'
