The head of the Catholic Church in the city has put his weight behind right-of-abode seekers, urging the government to speed up family reunions for mainland children born across the border to Hongkongers.
Bishop John Tong Hon's call for a resolution to the problem - in a September letter to Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen - was his first since succeeding Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun as leader of the diocese. Zen had passionately championed the plight of abode seekers.
Tong's concerns were revealed on the eve of a Legislative Council discussion today on the mainland's plans to relax immigration rules, amid rights groups' claims that the change was inadequate to address the pain of separation.
'Mainland children born to Hongkongers have been waiting too long for family reunions,' Tong said. 'The letter was written to urge the Hong Kong government to help speed up the family reunion process on humanitarian grounds.'
He said it was not his intention to put pressure on the chief executive.
The Chief Executive's Office said Tsang personally wrote a reply on October 7 to Tong's letter, dated September 21, detailing the government position and latest developments.
Father Franco Mella, a priest who has been helping abode seekers in the past decade, said the diocese lent its full support to abode seekers.
