Hong Kong’s newly appointed Cardinal Stephen Chow says elevation has given him ‘new mission’, calls for greater reconciliation in city
- Hongkongers need ‘chance to take a break, reconcile and calm down’, which will require ‘cooperation of many parties’, Chow says
- Crucial to give young people hope, particularly those who have committed offences, he adds
Hong Kong’s newly appointed Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan has said the elevation has given him a “new mission” and called for greater reconciliation in the city.
Chow, who remains a Catholic bishop pending his appointment by the papacy at the end of September, said he felt a sense of responsibility with his new role.
“It feels like this is a mission given to me by God through the Pope,” he said.
Chow, widely seen as politically neutral, also highlighted the importance of healing divisions in society.
“I think Hong Kong should have more reconciliation, so Hong Kong people can have a chance to take a break, reconcile and calm down. This is what I hope to do,” he said. “This will require the cooperation of many parties to happen.”
Asked whether he would continue to call for lenient treatment of those involved in the 2019 anti-government protests, Chow said it was crucial to give young people hope, particularly those who had committed offences.
The 63-year-old was meeting the press for the first time since his elevation to cardinal was revealed by Pope Francis on Sunday during his weekly public appearance at St Peter’s Square in Rome.
Hong Kong Bishop Stephen Chow appointed to College of Cardinals by Pope Francis
He will be the fourth cardinal from Hong Kong, following the late John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung, 91-year-old Joseph Zen Ze-kiun and 83-year-old John Tong Hon.
The pontiff appointed Chow as bishop of the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong two years ago, making him one of the youngest to hold the position since the first Chinese prelate was appointed in 1969, following the death of Michael Yeung Ming-cheung in 2019.
Chow’s elevation comes as ties between China and the Vatican have come under fresh strain. In April, Beijing named Joseph Shen Bin as the new bishop of Shanghai, the country’s biggest Catholic diocese, in an apparent violation of the agreement between the two states reached in 2018.
The Vatican is the only European state to have formal diplomatic links with self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.
Hong Kong’s Cardinal Zen given private audience with Pope Francis in Vatican
Chow paid a five-day visit to Beijing in April after being invited by Bishop Joseph Li Shan of the Beijing diocese, marking the first time a senior Catholic clergyman from Hong Kong had visited the capital since the handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
He said at the time the visit underlined the mission of the Hong Kong church to act as a bridge and promote exchanges between the faithful on the two sides.
The bishop also called for closer ties between the city’s diocese and churches and their counterparts in mainland China.
Reverend and lawmaker Peter Koon Ho-ming described Chow as an “ideal mediator” to repair relations between Beijing and the Holy See, and predicted greater communication between the two sides in the future.
“His appointment shows that he is trusted by the Pope. And his invitation to Beijing earlier shows that he is welcomed on the mainland. One can serve as a bridge only when he or she is accepted by both sides,” Koon said.
Chow’s elevation also demonstrated the Pope’s support for an estimated 12 million Catholics over the border, he added.
