HKDF Newsletter Issue 20 July 2002

Developing Hong Kong’s Social Conscience Bishop Joseph Zen, Coadjutor Bishop, Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, was the Foundation’s guest speaker on 18 March 2002. Below is a summary of his speech. I am not good at making long speeches, I prefer to answer short questions. Since I am given 20 to 30 minutes for a speech, I am going to use this time answering a few questions I put to myself before you put your questions to me. What do we understand by "Social conscience"? I suppose it should be obvious that social conscience means consciousness of living in a society, of being part of the society, in a complex net of relations and interactions with many people. "No man is an island". We depend on each other, we have responsibilities toward each other. How do I conceive the Society? There are many different conceptions of society, even opposed to each other. If I, following the ancient Greek philosophers, conceive society as made up of three radically different categories of persons: the slaves (who do the material services to support the rest of mankind), the soldiers (who have the role of assuring peace and tranquility for) the philosophers (who alone have the privilege of being able to develop the truly human capabilities), then it is essential for me to know to which category I belong and fulfill my role. If I, following Hobbes, conceive the society as a jungle where men are wolves to each other (homo homini lupus) or, following Rousseau, belive that in the society we cannot but lose our original innocence, then there can be not much incentive for me to be enthusiastically committed to society. If I accept the totalitarian concept of society, fascist or Marxist, where each person doesn’t count much, then… Fortunately we Christians have a very different conception of society.

Contents Alan LUNG Ka-lun, Chairman: From the Next Five Years to a more Level-headed Argument for Democracy Edgar W K Cheng Hong Kong – the Next Five Years: Issues and Challenges Audrey Eu Accountability of Government Leonard K Cheng Does Hong Kong Need a Competition Law? Paul Harris Human Rights in Hong Kong Post-1997 Policy Committee, HKDF Moral Leadership Passes to the Mainland Joseph Zen Developing Hong Kong’s Social Conscience NEWSLETTER ARCHIVES Contact our secretariat at Telephone no. 2869-6443, Fax no. 2869 6318 or e-mail at hkdf@hkdf.org for information on the Foundation or comments on this newsletter. Share your opinion on this subject with others in HKDF's online discussion forum eFORUM © Hong Kong Democratic Foundation. Articles in this newsletter may be reproduced with acknowledgment of the source.

• What is the society in the eyes of a Christian believer?
  
  It is the family of God, everybody is every-body-else’s brother and sister because we are all children of God. This gives to each one a sacred dignity and a whole set of rights, the human rights, inscribed in human nature, unalienable and always to be respected.
  
  There are all sorts of differences in this society, but the same dignity and fundamental rights belong to everyone without exception. If any special regard should be reserved it is the underprivileged who deserve it, while the first in the community should be the servant of all.
  
  The members of this society are sinners, but conversion of the heart is not on utopia, even holiness is not a luxury, because Jesus Christ has come to accomplish our redemption.
  
  This is the Gospel, this is the faith brought to us by the Missionaries, this is the vision which guides the Church today in promoting the social science everywhere in the world.

The leadership of the government is [towards] collective selfishness denying people the right of family reunion.

• Is the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong fulfilling its mission in this regard?
  
  I think we are moving in the right direction. On 10 August 1999 the diocese published some guidelines for the establishment of social concern groups in every parish. One thing, which needed to be clarified, is our double role as servants and as prophets. As servants we are urged to help and serve the people in need: the poor, the sick, the weak, those discriminated against. As prophets we may have to criticize unjust situations, structure and policies of the government. It was obvious that our faithful easily accept the former, but there are pockets of resistance to the latter, believing it to be politics. We tried to show that the latter is also an essential part of our mission according to official social teaching of the Church (this social teaching is sometimes said to be the best kept secret of our Church!)
  
  In recent years many events called for a voice from the church: the "reinterpretation of articles of the Basic Law" which seriously damaged the rule of law and the high degree of autonomy of the SAR, the leadership of the government towards collective selfishness denying people the right of family reunion; the public order ordinance, the threat of making anti-cult law; the denying of the right of schooling to children on recognizance; the judges from ministers of justice becoming servants of Government policy, and finally in the so called "arson case": the almost universal silent acceptance of the shocking sentence which was nothing but the ratification of a public vendetta!
  
  To our consolation we have some encouragement to persevere in our mission both from the Universal Church and from our local community, I conclude my speech with two quotations:
  
  From the speech of John Paul II on 6 November 1999 in New Delhi when he came to officially sign the post-sinodal document "Ecclesia in Asia".
  

  "It is surely the work of the Holy Spirit that Asian Christians are turning more and more to the defence of human dignity and the pursuit of justice. This service of the human person is grounded not in the illusions of ideologies but in respect for the creative act of God who made man and woman in his own image (cf. Gen 1:26). Christians expend immense energies in practical charity, and in human promotion and liberation, in obedience to the Lord’s command that we love one another as he has loved us (cf. Jn 13:34)."

  
  From our Diocesan Synod, concluded on 30 December 2001, of the 177 proposals the proposal No.84 is the most voted among the 10 top priorities:
  

  "The Church leaders, as a prophetic, social conscience and moral force, should speak out on social justice or important social events when appropriate, and provide guidance to the laity. Moreover, Catholics and Church organisations should be encouraged to express opinions related to justice according to the Church’s social teachings and employ appropriate strategies to affect public opinions and social policies."

Bishop Zen then responded to questions from guests.

We have gone several steps backwards. Hong Kong people used to be very generous and compassionate. In recent years we have closed our hearts.

Is Hong Kong’s conscience getting better?
From our perspective as Christians, we have gone several steps backwards. Hong Kong people used to be very generous and compassionate. They were open and welcoming to foreign people, and when disaster struck elsewhere in the world they would respond generously. In recent years we have closed our hearts. St Paul said that there are two men within us, the old man is corrupt and selfish, the new man is the one redeemed by Christ. The old man seems to be winning within us in these few years. Of course, this is caused partly by the economic situation. And Government policy has encouraged Hong Kong people in their selfishness.

It is not a question of mathematics. With a little resources, the problems posed by the migrants can be overcome. Hong Kong people have forgotten that they, or their parents, were new arrivals once. Isn’t it selfish to deny the same opportunity to others?

Are there any positive signs?
Yes, people are still speaking out. And in particular I would like to thank some members of the legal profession. Their support has been marvelous.

By fighting for the migrants, are you giving false hope to people waiting in China?
We are well aware that we do not have the people of Hong Kong at our side. One newspaper published an opinion survey on its front page showing that only a minority were on the side of the immigrant children. The paper stated that it was normally on the side of the people. Only that day it could not be. The people of Hong Kong have been misled by the Government. Nor have the Government’s methods been very honest. Was the figure of 1.65 million migrants to Hong Kong a scientific figure? I don’t think so. It is not a false hope that we are giving to people. The Court of Final Appeal itself stated that these people had reasonable expectation of abode in Hong Kong. It is the Government that has been unfair to them.

Nor have we ever encouraged violence. We regret the tragedy [of the abode seeker setting himself alight]; it would surely never have happened if Father Mella had been there that day. It is unfair to extrapolate from this incident.

You have not mentioned democracy
I thought there was no need to mention it because it is a permanent underlying issue. But we have spoken out on democracy. We objected to the formation of the undemocratic Election Committee. However, we were afraid that if we boycotted it, we might be subject to legal action. So we adopted a stance of passive collaboration, and let individual members of our church join.

Do you speak for all Catholics in Hong Kong?
Not for all. It is impossible to hold a referendum on every issue. And our members, too, include those misled by the Government.

Is religious freedom increasing on the Mainland?
There was a big meeting of religious leaders with the Politburo in December 2001. Some positive statements were made then. But our view is that there is nothing new. The policy of the Mainland authorities is to suppress the cults, and control the authorized religions. Prior to the Party Congress later this year nothing will change. Perhaps one or two years later, once the new leadership has established itself there will be the possibility of a more open stance.

Are the judges independent?
The judges seem to see themselves as implementers of Government policy. On the right of abode case they told us, we understand that the Government’s promise was not kept. But you are too many. We cannot take you all. So we will take you only if you have a letter from the Government. A spoken word is not enough. So they were in effect helping the Government to achieve its policy objectives.

Do you oppose the Government because of the Vatican’s position on China?
No, there is no connection between these things. The Catholic Church in Hong Kong forms its views independently. It is not like the past; the Vatican does not control things any more.

Any particular current concerns?
Yes, I am concerned about the seven young men in Stanley convicted in the arson case. If you had watched the videos and listened to the court proceedings, you would never have expected such a sentence. For a crime like murder, you need proof beyond reasonable doubt. But there were question marks over everything. I do not know how the court arrived at the conviction. One young man was supposed to have murdered his own friend!?

The above does not necessarily represent the views of the Foundation