HONG KONG (SE): In a Letter to Hong Kong read out on the RTHK on October 12, John Cardinal Tong Hon, the apostolic administrator of the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong, urged people not to feel despair or bear hatred to anyone even though their demands are not answered, because such negative feelings can breed violence, which cannot solve any problems.
At the same time, he urged the government to respond concretely to the demands of the people and for law enforcement officers to act in accordance to their consciences and the law.
Cardinal Tong expressed sorrow as the chaos over the past months caused by backlash to the now-withdrawn extradition bill has shown no sign of calming down and is escalating instead.
He said he couldn’t give any suggestions to solve Hong Kong’s the present situation as he is not an expert in politics. However he believes God, who is in control of the history of mankind, will abide with the people of Hong Kong during this trial. He said prayer can also change heart so that we can face the difficulties and see hope.
“I know most in audience are non-believers who may feel lost in the face of the turmoil. I encourage you to take a deep breath and think about what you have relied on in past trials to rekindle your hope. Faced with the various negative information that affects your inner peace, I also encourage you to confide in trusted friends who understand you. This is a way to help you calm down and move on with your life,” he continued.
‘To rebuild harmony, giving a concrete response to the demands of the people is the real way. The priority today is to restore trust between the government and people so that the precious harmony in society can appear again’
He urged people not to despair even though they are disappointed about the lack of response over their reasonable demands, as despair blocks the ability to see hope and can make one’s life wither. He urged people to be mindful of the indignation in their hearts before it grows into hatred, which can make it hard for them to distinguish between good and evil, and create violence.
He believes deeply that using violence against violence is not a solution and will only cause more harm. He said the movements against tyrannies led by Mahatma Gandhi in India, as well as Nelson Mandela in South Africa, won the approval of the world because of their insistence on peaceful means. Mutual respect out of conscience has been one reason for the success in Hong Kong.
“To rebuild harmony, giving a concrete response to the demands of the people is the real way. The priority today is to restore trust between the government and people so that the precious harmony in society can appear again,” he said.
He said he feels pained seeing young people in anxiety due to the present social crisis and leading them out of the turmoil is another urgent task for all sectors of society as well as the government.
Cardinal Tong concluded his message with a passionate appeal to both the Hong Kong government and to the law enforcement agencies, saying, “Here I also call on the government to really listen to the voice of Hong Kong people. I call on the law enforcers, who were granted powers by law, to carry out their duties heeding the voice of their conscience and in accordance with the law, so that people’s trust and respect for them may be restored.”
