Catholic church leader Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun has weighed in on the row over extending the domestic violence law to same-sex couples, saying it would undermine the foundations of Hong Kong's society.
The cardinal also blasted the Democratic Party for being 'undemocratic' after it prevented party member Wong Sing-chi from voting against the amendment despite his religious convictions.
The government has proposed extending the scope of the law to cover same sex cohabitants, which has stirred up a row over the legal status of gay relationships. In a statement responding to the controversy yesterday, Cardinal Zen said the government's amendment would cause 'serious consequences'.
'We fully agree that everybody, irrespective of his personal background, should under all circumstances be protected against any form of violence,' he said.
'[The amendment] will definitely lead to a misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the concepts of 'marriage' and 'family', thereby undermining the foundation of our society.
'Sooner or later such distorted concepts of 'marriage' and 'family' will bring about other serious consequences.'
The Democratic Party also drew fire. 'We are very surprised indeed to find the Democratic Party taking such an 'undemocratic' action in dealing with one of its members,' Cardinal Zen said.