A young man from Hong Kong writes to Pope Francis, asking him to pray for Hong Kong
Giovanni Pang also would like the Pope to pray for Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, also a Catholic, who "turns a blind eye to the outcry of Hong Kong citizens". Priests from Hong Kong, "especially those who are supportive and are close to the underground Church community in China”, are at risk.
Hong Kong (AsiaNews) – A young man from Hong Kong, Giovanni Pang, has written to Pope Francis asking him to include the problems of the territory and the controversial extradition law in his prayers. His letter arrived last night. This morning, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, a Catholic, decided to suspend the draft bill, but there is no certainty that it will be permanently scrapped.
According to Pang, if the law were adopted, it would make the work of many priests who help unofficial communities in China dangerous, as they could be extradited to stand an unfair trial. He is concerned about "our future in this city".
Giovanni Pang Chenyu is one of the young Hongkongers who met Pope Francis at the Asian Youth Congress in Daejeon (South Korea) in 2014 (pictured). He was also one of the speakers at the 2018 AsiaNews Symposium on ‘Young people who resist’.
Your Holiness,
Please include Hong Kong in your prayers. The Chief Executive of HKSAR,[*] a fellow sister in Christ, Mrs. Carrie Lam, turns a blind eye to the outcry of Hong Kong citizens and proposes to pass the Extradition Bill in the Legislative Council. The bill is widely opposed as it might result in unjust surrenders of Hong Kong citizens to mainland China, which adopts a different juridical system from here. Worse still, should this bill be passed, the clergymen in Hong Kong, especially those who are supportive and are close to the underground Church community in China, would possibly be sent to the mainland for unfair trials.
Many Hong Kong citizens are now fighting against this unjust decision. On 9 June 2019, a million of them took to the street to demand the bill to be withdrawn. Yet, such strong voice was disregarded by the Hong Kong government. On 12 June 2019, the police even used excessive and unnecessary force against the unarmed protesters with rubber bullets and tear gas. As Catholics who are in grief and deeply concerned about our future in this city, we wish that Your Holiness will include Hong Kong in your prayer: praying that our almighty God will soon grant this piece of land justice, soften the heart of our fellow sister Carrie Lam, and keep our people safe from fear or harm. I have the honour to profess myself with the most profound respect. Your Holiness' most obedient and humble servant,
Giovanni Pang
[*] Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
.png)
15/06/2019 15:11
02/08/2019 11:30
