Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui House of Bishops Pastoral Letter

Publish Date: 30-Jul-2019

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

May the peace of the Lord be with you in these times of turmoil.

In the past week, we have seen that Hong Kong has reached a critical juncture. The level of violence has increased daily, and the situation is very worrying. We reaffirm that we are opposed violence in all its forms.

Lately, people from different sectors of society have condemned violence, but as Christians, we need to understand that violence is just a symptom on the surface. The hidden cause is that humanity is enslaved by sin: hatred, wrath, wickedness, pride, fear, suspicion and reliance on force.

We need to say “no” to violence. Not only must we eradicate all forms of violence, verbal, mental, authoritarian, and physical violence, we must also learn to free our hearts from enslavement to sin, so that we can fight for all our ideals and build the kingdom of heaven on earth freely, joyfully, mercifully, peacefully, and openly with a sense of hopefulness.

Dear brothers and sisters, we remember that the veil in the holy temple tore into two halves when Jesus breathed his last on the cross. This means that the gap between God and humankind has been bridged because of Jesus’ complete self-sacrifice, and that therefore the hatred among human beings has been resolved.

Today, relying on the grace of the Cross, let us rebuild Hong Kong so that she may become the “Pearl of the Orient” that shines with the light of Christ’s glory and the radiance of humanity.

Archbishop Paul Kwong　　Bishop Andrew Chan　　Bishop Timothy Kwok

25 July 2019