Bishop Stephen Chow of Hong Kong. (Vatican Media)
By Benedict Rogers
Apr 26 2023
The visit, and his remarks, are a sign of just how much pressure is to come on religious freedom in Hong Kong.
The visit to China by Bishop Stephen Chow of Hong Kong may have been a mistake, but it is also an indicator of Beijing’s continuing war on faith.
Bishop Chow, wittingly or unwittingly, may have made himself a pawn in Beijing’s co-option strategy. Time will tell what his reasons are, how much in control of his plans he actually is, and to what extent he was coerced into complicity. That his visit was distressing, disturbing and disappointing is not in doubt, especially for those of us — like me — who greeted his appointment last year with relief and some hope.
Xi Jinping’s Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime desires ultimately to eradicate religion and, in the short to medium term, to restrict, repress, control and co-opt religion. The bishop’s visit, and his remarks, are a sign of just how much pressure is to come on religious freedom in Hong Kong.
Until now, religious freedom appeared to be the last remaining freedom: Christians and other religious communities have been free to go to places of worship and practice their faith freely. To an untrained eye, even though all other freedoms have been stripped from Hong Kong, religious adherents are still able to worship.
Yet that has always been a fallacy, for several reasons.
First, as soon as freedom itself — and its component parts — is trampled upon, inevitably freedom of religion or belief will be impacted. As soon as freedom of association, expression and assembly are undermined, freedom of religion or belief is eroded. As soon as Cardinal Joseph Zen is arrested and prominent Catholics like Jimmy Lai are jailed, albeit for their political beliefs, religious freedom is under pressure.
“The question for Catholics and people of faith more widely, is how to respond to such a regime”
Second, if religious adherents are to stay true to their consciences and the teachings of their faith, they will sooner or later face a stand-off with the authoritarian CCP dictators in Beijing.
A regime that commits genocide and crimes against humanity, a regime that violates international treaties, a regime that lies as a matter of course, a regime that has no respect for justice and truth at all, a regime that rips human organs from prisoners of conscience, a regime that, in its mendacity, is diametrically opposed to the values of human life, human liberty and human dignity, is a regime that is at odds with the teachings of the Church and of faith.
The question for Catholics, and people of faith more widely, is how to respond to such a regime.
There is, even in extremis — perhaps especially in times of heightened tensions — a role for dialogue and engagement. The Church has a unique role in negotiating agreements and in peace-making, and I would never want to preclude or undermine that option. As someone inspired in my faith by Jesuit teachers and Ignatian spirituality, I want to acknowledge the role of dialogue. And yet any dialogue by the worldwide Church with the regime in Beijing must surely be underpinned by the pursuit of the values of justice, truth, accountability and reconciliation which the worldwide Church embodies.
That brings us back to Bishop Chow’s visit to Beijing.
When he was first appointed, and then consecrated, I applauded the choice of Bishop Chow. He was not Beijing’s first choice, nor was he the candidate those of us who support Hong Kong’s pro-democracy and human rights cause would have preferred, but he was an intelligent, thoughtful, pastoral compromise choice whom, we thought, would neither kowtow to nor provoke Beijing.
On his visit to Beijing, he straddled that diplomatic path carefully. But in the following two remarks, Bishop Chow has undermined trust — and needs to be held accountable.
“We all want our country to do well. Being patriotic is a duty,” said the bishop of Hong Kong. I do not disagree. In principle and on the surface, I have no problems with those words. A bishop of any country or city should encourage their flock to love their country.
The problem is that Xi Jinping’s regime in Beijing wants, and seeks, to conflate love for the country with love for Party and love for the regime.
I personally, though not a Chinese national, love China and the Chinese people. I am not anti-China. Indeed, the reason I oppose the CCP regime so consistently is that I love China and I want all the people of China to be free and to live in dignity and liberty.
“True patriots are those who oppose atrocity crimes, brutal repression, barbaric injustices, breaches of international agreements”
For any Catholic, the conflation of a regime whose ideology is atheist, racist, genocidal, brutal, criminal and repressive with a faith that embodies love and respect for human dignity and liberty for all is profoundly problematic.
A Catholic — and a Christian of any tradition, or any other religious adherent — can express their love of country. They cannot, without tearing their soul, pronounce love of the Party or regime when that regime is authoritarian, unaccountable and so completely at odds with human dignity and justice.
Bishop Chow ended his visit to Beijing by inviting the head of the CCP State-appointed “church” to visit Hong Kong. A visit in itself might not be wrong. Dialogue in and of itself is not a problem. But the question the bishop, and the Vatican, must constantly ask is what signals does it send, what implications does it have and where does it lead?
Does the Diocese of Hong Kong — the last bastion of autonomy for the city — really want to integrate itself with the CCP-controlled entity that defines itself as a so-called “Catholic” Church in China, under Xi Jinping’s control and in only quasi-communion with Rome? Does Hong Kong want to surrender its religious freedom? Do Hong Kong Catholics wish to surrender their full, uncompromised communion with the Successor of St Peter? I think not.
For these reasons, I think Bishop Chow — whose integrity and pastoral leadership I respect — should rethink and recalibrate. I understand the generosity of spirit behind the invitations issued. But such generosity of spirit should not be an unconditional surrender.
Catholics, Christians of all traditions and people of all faiths should love their country and wish the best for it, no doubt. But true patriots are those who oppose atrocity crimes, brutal repression, barbaric injustices, breaches of international agreements, and dismantling of freedoms, and who speak truth to power.
They might prefer to do the latter in private rather than in public — but what they must never do is anything, publicly or privately, that might be seen to appease, surrender or kowtow.
The only place Catholics should ever genuflect is at the altar — never at Zhongnanhai. – UCA News
