This is the fourth in a series of articles covering the origin and development of the Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission since its inception
HONG KONG (SE): “Even though the Justice and Peace Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese is to be renamed the Diocesan Commission for Integral Human Development at the end of this year, I think what is crucial is not its name, but its spirit to help the socially marginalised,” said Mary Yuen Mee-yin, the executive secretary of the commission from 1991 to 2002, and later its vice chairperson from 2007 to 2009. She has been the ecclesiatical adviser of the Hong Kong Catholic Commission for Labour Affairs since 2020, and is currently a professor of social ethics at the Holy Spirit Seminary College of Theology and Philosophy.
In line with the reforms of Vatican II, the Church has been adopting an open-minded attitude towards the world. She has been actively involved in social issues to help build up, in collaboration with all people of good will, a global human family united by the bonds of justice, fraternal love and peace.
Following the teaching of the Vatican II in its Pastoral Consitution, Gaudium et Spes, On the Church in the Modern World [1965], the Church has encouraged the People of God to read “the signs of the times and to interpret them in the light of the gospel” [4]. The establishment of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in 1967, and the concluding document of the 1971 World Synod of Bishops, Justice in the World were the fruits of the Vatican II.
The open-minded attitude of the Church influenced our diocese too. The Justice and Peace Commission was established by Bishop John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung in 1977 with the aim of caring for the socially marginalised in Hong Kong.
According to a summary of the commission’s work in its 30th anniversary publication titled, Accompanying the Marginalised on the Way to the Kingdom of God, the issues addressed by the commission from the late 1970s to 1980s included housing and the overcrowded living conditions, the right of abode of fishermen’s wives and other marginalised groups in society. The commission was also concerned about the legislation of the Basic Law and held consultative conferences to gather views.
It was especially concerned about the situation of the Vietnamese boat people starting from 1988, and published related leaflets and statements, as well as organising seminars and workshops, urging more sympathetic considerations be given to the Vietnamese refugees and opposing their forced repatriation.
The commission began joining the activities organised by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, especially its Office for Human Development, in 1984 to address justice issues in Asia.
It was especially concerned about the situation of the Vietnamese boat people starting from 1988, and published related leaflets and statements, as well as organising seminars and workshops, urging more sympathetic considerations be given to the Vietnamese refugees and opposing their forced repatriation.
In the 1990s, it presented its views on medical benefits for low-income families, input of foreign labour, human rights education and constitutional development before the 1997 transition, among other things.
The commission also spoke out against overseas violations of human rights. In the late 2000s, it was particularly concerned about the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.
Yuen recalled that when she was executive secretary in the early 1990s, it paid special attention to several groups of marginalised people, in particular the Vietnamese boat people, for whom Hong Kong was then considered “the port of first asylum.”
It is because the voice of the boat people was not heard. Firstly, being in the closed camps, they could not communicate with the outside world, and secondly, they did not know the local language
Mary Yuen
One big issue she had to handle was people’s biased attitude against the boat people who had no choice but to come to Hong Kong because of persecution or economic problems at home. Violence often erupted inside the isolated camps, since many Vietnamese felt very stressed after being locked up inside the closed camps for years, either waiting to be accepted by other countries or facing the prospect of forced repatriation.
Yuen recalled that media coverage about the boat people was usually rather negative. “It is because the voice of the boat people was not heard. Firstly, being in the closed camps, they could not communicate with the outside world, and secondly, they did not know the local language,” she said.
She remembered being in constant contact with pastoral workers who paid regular visits to the camps, providing alternative viewpoints through the media to let the public come to an understanding of the actual situation of the refugees, as well as meeting with officials of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Another problem the commission handled was the right of abode for children of Hong Kong residents in mainland China, which led to a lot of disputes after the Hong Kong government had sought the reinterpretation of Article 24 of the Basic Law from the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress to deny the right of abode of those children in 1999.
Yuen remembered that at that time, the commission, in cooperation with Father Franco Mella PIME, as well as Christian and civil groups and lawyers, defended the children’s right by publishing essays in newspapers and organising peaceful rallies and public talks.
Catholic social teaching takes a holistic or integral approach to development. It places people, rather than the economy, at the centre of development. God created us out of love and we are called to develop our God-given gifts, to grow as human persons, and to achieve a life which is fulfilling. That is why we describe our thinking about development as integral and human
The two issues are among many examples showing that the commission felt the need to speak for the socially marginalised. “They have the same human dignity as every one else regardless of their socio-economic background, and this is the basis of the Catholic social teaching,” she stressed.
“Catholic social teaching takes a holistic or integral approach to development. It places people, rather than the economy, at the centre of development. God created us out of love and we are called to develop our God-given gifts, to grow as human persons, and to achieve a life which is fulfilling. That is why we describe our thinking about development as integral and human,” Yuen added.
Pope Benedict XVI, for instance, in his 2009 encyclical, Caritas in Veritate [Charity in Truth], pointed out that profit should be used as a means to achieve “common good as its ultimate goal.” Citing Pope St. Paul VI’s 1967 encyclical, Populorum Progressio, [On The Development of Peoples], Pope Benedict said, “The economic development that Paul VI hoped to see was meant to produce real growth, of benefit to everyone and genuinely sustainable” [21].
Yuen observes that at present the marginalised in Hong Kong are women workers, low-income families, migrants, ethnic minorities, the homeless, as well as rehabilitated persons who need support for their re-integration into society. Some of these issues have been addressed by the Justice and Peace Commission, and by other groups in the Church.
However, to address the root of the problems faced by the marginalised, she said that Catholic social teaching points out that developing a just system for all is the key in the long run.
As lay people, we need a clear mindset and a solid spirituality to observe and respond to what happens in society. Over the past few years, Pope Francis has highlighted the notion of integral ecology, helping us to see the connectedness of all things and interrelatedness of various problems. It is necessary to equip ourselves with our Christian faith to face different challenges
She pointed out that in Populorum Progressio and later encyclicals, the Church has insisted that a just system should not only provide all people with basic needs, but should also ensure human development at the social, cultural and spiritual levels, and an equal opportunity for individuals to develop their talents, so that they can respond to the calling of God.
Yuen believes that due to social changes in recent years, the engagement of Hong Kong people in social issues at different levels may become less active, so the commission may have to use some new strategies to express its views, but this does not mean the commission will pay less attention to what is happening in society.
“I think if such concern is presented in a peaceful and rational way, the government should have an open mind to accept different views,” she said.
She said there is in fact a close relationship between Catholic social teaching and spirituality. “As lay people, we need a clear mindset and a solid spirituality to observe and respond to what happens in society. Over the past few years, Pope Francis has highlighted the notion of integral ecology, helping us to see the connectedness of all things and interrelatedness of various problems. It is necessary to equip ourselves with our Christian faith to face different challenges ,” she said.
She believes that ecological conversion and spirituality, which have been promoted by the Justice and Peace Commission in recent years, is an effective way to strengthen our relationship with God. “If we have a close relationship with God, we can better show our solidarity with others and our love for the Earth,” she said.
