HomeChurch & AsiaHong Kong Catholic bishop invites prelate of Beijing for a visit

Hong Kong Catholic bishop invites prelate of Beijing for a visit

Bishop Chow expressed hope for "more intense collaboration and exchanges in the communion of love"

Bishop Stephen Chow of Hong Kong has invited Archbishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing for a visit following a historic trip — the first of its kind in almost 30 years — to the mainland last week.

The Hong Kong prelate announced the invitation at the end of his five-day visit to Beijing on April 21. He said the proposal was received in a “quite positive” manner.

In a homily during a concelebrated Mass with Archbishop Shan on April 20, Bishop Chow expressed hope “that the diocese of Hong Kong, the diocese of Beijing, and all the Catholic communities on the mainland can have more intense collaboration and exchanges in the communion of love.”



In media interviews after the Mass, Bishop Chow stressed the importance of loving the country and the Church. “We all want our country to do well,” he said, adding that “being patriotic is a duty.”

Bishop Chow was appointed bishop of Hong Kong by Pope Francis in May 2021 and received episcopal consecration in December of that year.

The 63-year-old Jesuit prelate previously pointed out the importance of the Church in Hong Kong being a bridge between China and the island.

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. Its citizens have historically enjoyed freedom of worship, while in mainland China there is a long history of persecution against Christians who defy the communist government.

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With the passage of the new security law in 2020, the Chinese government gained more power to suppress pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, which the regime viewed as a direct threat to its power.

Bishop Chow’s trip to Beijing came two weeks after Bishop Joseph Shen Bin of Haimen was appointed as the new bishop of Shanghai by the Chinese Bishops’ Council, a communist-controlled episcopal conference.

The appointment has not been approved by the Vatican.

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