Father Stephen Chow Sau-yan appointed Bishop of Hong Kong after lengthy negotiations
St. John's Cathedral, Hong Kong (Image illustration).
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A new bishop for the diocese of Hong Kong: on May 17 Pope Francis appointed Father Stephen Chow Sau-yan, a Jesuit, to head this strategic diocese, after long negotiations.
A figure who seems to reconcile a good understanding with Beijing while privileging the religious freedom dear to the Vatican.
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With our correspondent in the Vatican
,
Éric Sénanque
For more than two years, the episcopal see of Hong Kong had been vacant.
The appointment of Father Chow Sau-yan thus comes after a long period when the Vatican played the balancing act.
The
Beijing's grip
on the former British colony and the recent rapprochement between China and the Holy See have indeed weighed on the appointment, but the Jesuit seems to be the compromise candidate.
Born in 1959 in Hong Kong, Chow Sau-yan joined the Jesuits in 1984, he trained in Dublin, Chicago or Harvard where he obtained a doctorate in education.
Education specialist
It is also in the educational sector that the new bishop is specialized, a sector considered strategic in Hong Kong while Beijing wishes to question the freedom of education.
Since 2018, Father Chow Sau-yan was responsible for the Jesuits for all of China, a province which also includes Taiwan.
The appointment of the Bishop of Hong Kong is considered one of the most difficult.
His choice to keep his distance from Hong Kong politics, when Catholics are divided seems to have worked in his favor.
One of his tasks will be to preserve the religious freedom of Catholics in the city while ensuring that they moderate their criticism of Beijing.
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