Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan has expressed confidence that Pope Leo XIV will continue fostering dialogue with China and remain attentive to the needs of the marginalized, following the example of his predecessor.
In a video interview with Kung Kao Pao, the official publication of the Diocese of Hong Kong, Cardinal Chow recalled that the new pope “visited China several times and got to know the Chinese culture and reality” before becoming the Successor of Peter.
The Jesuit cardinal shared that he gave the new pontiff a small statue of Our Lady of Sheshan as a gesture of solidarity with Chinese Catholics.
“As Cardinal John Tong, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, did in the past when he brought a statue of Our Lady of Sheshan to Pope Francis, following his example, I too gave a small statue of Our Lady of Sheshan to the new Pope, imploring him not to forget the Church in China and the Chinese people,” said Chow.
“He nodded his head to indicate that he will not forget the Church and the Chinese people… I believe he will gladly continue the direction followed by Pope Francis,” the prelate added.
Created cardinal in the same consistory as then-Archbishop Prevost on Sept. 30, 2023, Cardinal Chow said he hopes to support the new pontiff in amplifying the voices of the vulnerable.
He noted that Pope Leo XIV “will take into account the multicultural nature of Asia” and is believed to “share Pope Francis’ approach to China, which includes communication and dialogue.”
“Pope Leo XIV is the man the cardinals considered good for the Church and for the world,” said Chow. “The cardinals have elected a Pope who willingly listens.”
Looking to the future, he reiterated his “desire to collaborate in the Pope’s mission,” starting in Hong Kong, “where, together with the laity, we will accompany above all the marginalized and the weak, listening to their difficulties and cries, as the new Pope does.”
