Thirty Filipinos joined a prayer vigil last night at the Catholic Centre for the late Cardinal Sin, as Filipinos in Hong Kong learned of his death by text message.
It was the first day of a nine-day vigil for the dead, according to Catholic tradition, due to be held at the Diocesan Pastoral Centre for Filipinos, said Father Emilio Lim, the Hong Kong Diocese's chaplain for Filipinos.
A memorial Mass was also being planned for Cardinal Sin on July 1 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Father Lim said.
Text messages were sent to many of the 140,000 Filipinos in the city, urging them to pray. Father Lim said he hoped various religious communities could attend the July 1 memorial Mass. 'Just as Cardinal Sin had been a symbol of unity for us, in prayers for him he can unite people. It will be a prayer for national unity and national healing, especially in these troubled times,' he said.
Father Lim said the cardinal could not speak in his last days.
'If he could speak he would have spoken something about the latest destabilisation plot. If he was strong enough he would have called [on] people to calm down. His impact had always been like that.'