Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui elects new Archbishop on 18 October
Publish Date: 06-Oct-2020
The Most Revd Paul Kwong, Archbishop and Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, is retiring at the end of 2020 and a new Archbishop will be elected. The Special Meeting of the 8th General Synod for the Election of the Archbishop will be held on 18th October (Sunday) from 3:30 pm to 8:00 pm and on 19th October from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm in Hong Kong and Macau. Because of the COVID-19 related travel restrictions imposed in Hong Kong, the election will take place separately but simultaneously at SKH Tang Shiu Kin Secondary school in Hong Kong and at St Paul’s Church in Macau. Canon Three of the Province stipulates that an Electoral College, composing all active Bishops of the Province (House of Bishops, except the retiring Archbishop), all clergy delegates of diocesan or missionary diocesan synods and council clergy members of missionary areas (House of Clergy), and all lay delegates of diocesan or missionary diocesan synods and council lay members of missionary areas (House of Laity), shall be responsible for electing the new Archbishop. Bishop Andrew Chan of the Diocese of Western Kowloon, Bishop Timothy Kwok of the Diocese of Eastern Kowloon and Bishop Coadjutor Matthias Der of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island are candidates of the election. Voting shall be held separately in the House of Bishops, House of Clergy and the House of Laity. The candidate shall be declared elected the Archbishop if he shall receive the highest votes which must be a simple majority of more than half of the votes received in his favour in all three respective Houses of the Electoral College. According to Section 12 of the Constitution of the Province, the Archbishop-elect hold office and exercise the duties and functions appertaining to the office of the Archbishop until the end of the calendar year when he shall attain the age of seventy (such age being the age of retirement). On the other hand, a retiring Archbishop shall remain in office until the Archbishop-elect is duly installed. 
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