HONG KONG (SE): The Hong Kong delegation to the September 30 consistery at the Vatican, expressed their joy at the chance to take part to witness the elevation of Stephen Cardinal Chow, sj. Together they expressed their well-wishes and support to the new cardinal.
As the delegation visited Macerata, the hometown of Venerable Father Matteo Ricci, on September 28, Father Joseph Chan Wing-chiu, who led the delegation, said Father Ricci was willing to serve as a bridge between people, and the same spirit is shown through the work of Cardinal Chow.
“I believe that Father Ricci, and our bishop who is playing the role of a bridge Church in Hong Kong, are both willing to bring people closer to each other and to bring people closer to God,” Father Chan said in a September 29 interview on the Youtube channel of Kung Kao Po.
“Cardinal Chow is a very down to earth person, who is interested in different cultures. When he was engaged in education, he was very close to the young people, willing to listen to them and understand them. So I believe that this comes from his understanding of the spirit of Father Ricci, and it goes deeper into his own orientation,” Father Chan said.
“I was very happy to be able to attend the consistory,” Joyce Chang, a member of the delegation, told the Sunday Examiner.
She recalled that there were many people waiting outside in St. Peter’s Square when they arrived around 5:00am.
“It is a blessing for Hong Kong Catholics to know and witness our bishop being chosen to share the mission of the universal Church to spread the Good News. There will be lots of hard work and sacrifice, and we need to pray for him. It is a gift as well as a challenge for Cardinal Chow,” Chang said.
Helen Lo, another delegate, shared her happiness that the delegation were able congratulate the new cardinal in person after a one-and-a-half-hour wait.
“I was very grateful to see our bishop receive the red hat, and I knew that Cardinal Chow would lead the diocese of Hong Kong to a higher level,” she said.
