The Catholic bishop of Hong Kong called on Beijing to make clear the “red lines” of the national security law that affects people in the special administrative region.
“The difficulty of the national security law lies in not knowing where the red line is,” Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan was quoted in an interview with the magazine of the Jesuit Wah Yan College in Kowloon.
“Educators, social workers, and even legal professionals face barriers. Experts and law enforcers might have a different understanding [of the law],” said the prelate.
He assured that the Church “has not remained idle” in the face of challenges, adding that “we have increased support for young people in prison.”
“But today we need everyone to listen to the other…. It’s time to discern instead of taking action,” said Bishop Chow in the interview, which was quoted by the South China Morning Post this week.
“Sit and watch the clouds rise,” he said.
The prelate said the “biggest crisis” facing Hong Kong is that “different groups only think of their own interests.”
“This process requires each of us to listen and communicate with each other,” he said.
On the renewal of the agreement between China and the Holy See on the appointment of bishops, Bishop Chow said he hopes to speak with the bishops of China to renew ties.
“We hope to have more opportunities to talk and listen to each other,” he said.
