Mgr Savio Hon appointed nuncio to Athens
He is the only high level Chinese member of the Roman Curia. He edited the Chinese translation of the catechism of the Catholic Church. He is well respected by many underground Catholics, many of whom he met during his stay in China. He attended the AsiaNews symposium on "China: The cross is red."
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – The Press Office of the Holy See announced today that Archbishop Savio Hon Taifai, the only high level Chinese member of the Roman Curia, was named nuncio to Athens.
A member of the Salesian Order, Mgr Hon was appointed secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples in 2010, succeeding Mgr Robert Sarah.
Over the past few years, Archbishop Hon has worked on the relations between the Holy See and China, in the committee dedicated to China set up by Benedict XVI, which includes Church members from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao, as well as officials from Propaganda Fide, and the Secretariat of State, and missionaries.
Mgr Hon was a member of the International Theological Commission and edited the Chinese translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
As a priest in Hong Kong, he taught at several seminaries in the People’s Republic of China where he was able to meet many future Chinese priests.
In his relationship with the authorities of the People's Republic of China he has always called for following the guidelines set by Benedict XVI in his Letter to Christians of China.
This has generated sympathy among many underground Catholics who view the current dialogue between China and the Vatican as a danger to their survival.
As talks between Beijing and the Holy See went on in Rome, he was sent to Guam in the second half of 2016 as the apostolic administrator to the Archdiocese of Agana where he had to address some issues related to the relationship between the bishop and the clergy and some accusations of sexual harassment against the bishop.
Mgr Hon has often spoken to AsiaNews and last May he attended the AsiaNews symposium on ‘China: The Cross is Red’.
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