Graves desecrated at the Catholic cemetery in Happy Valley

The Episcopal Vicar Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, is not yet sure if the gesture is the work of vandals. In any case, Father Chan said that safety will be improved in the cemetery. The police have opened an investigation and are treating the episode as a crime. Police are excluding the possibility of robbery being a motive behind the attack as many niches and tombs, which contain items of value, were left untouched.                                                                                                                              Fr. Edward Chau King-fun, Director of Institute of Religious Sciences at the Holy Spirit Seminary College in Hong Kong, points out that the graves of ancestors are important both for the Chinese, and for Catholics. "In Chinese culture, damaging a grave is a grave offence, a humiliation for the ancestors and their families. Respect for graves is considered an act of filial piety towards the same ancestors. According to Father Chau, the way in which the graves were damaged, shows that the "vandals acted deliberately, revealing a deep anger." For the priest is not clear whether the target is the Catholic Church. In this case, the tombs of bishops and priests would have been the first to be affected. Instead, both the tomb of Card. Wu, both the priests and missionaries have remained intact.  

Meanwhile, many relatives of the deceased buried in the cemetery, have come today to visit the site and check for damage to the graves of their loved ones. Emily Lau, a lawmaker in Hong Kong, visited the tomb of her parents, to assure it was not among the affected. Lau has asked the Catholic Church to strengthen security at the cemetery. The former Chief Secretary of local government, Anson Chan, hopes that the police can trace the criminals. The grave of Anson Chan’s Uncle, Harry Fan, is among those damaged.