catholics-from-hong-kong

"In my new, delicate role, I would be an instrument in building bridges with China. I am very excited at the beginning of this mandate, and I also feel the responsibility of a post that covers a vast field: taking care of the pastoral life of more than 1,000 church districts. I hope that the Church's evangelizing and the missionary work of this Congregation may take on a new momentum, especially in countries with ancient traditions and cultures, such as China and India."

"Hong Kong has experienced mobility of people over its history, especially in the last 25 years. This is a thing that we have been living with and coming across regularly."

"If you are genuinely interested in press freedom, you should support actions against people who have unlawfully exploited the media as a tool to pursue their political or personal gains."

"Safeguarding national security is only natural. The US wants to use those so-called sanctions to intimidate [me] – it will not succeed."

"[I]f anyone tries to challenge the Hong Kong National Security Law… it is tantamount to playing with fire and [they] will pay a heavy price…"

"The violent riots that had taken place in Hong Kong since June 2019… had the more profound consequences of ruining people’s law-abidingness and breeding homegrown terrorism."

"We are the access to the mainland market. These are the strengths that will not be replaced by any cities in China or any countries in the world."

"Housing is the key to solve different issues, including poverty and youth development."

"If there is no attack on police, if there is no use of violence, of course there is no need for police to resort to the use of force. You can see petrol bombs being thrown, you can see fire being set, you can see people being dragged out of the car because of opposite views. So, this is sowing the sea of terror which I think police must deal with."

"In Hong Kong, no person is above the law regardless of status, wealth, political power or background. The National Security Law is applied fairly. Enforcement actions and trials are based on facts and evidence. Judgments are made public with elaborate reasoning on decisions."

"One unfortunate fact is that Hong Kong itself has failed to close a loophole in its system which left its door open to national security threats. Despite having reunified with our mother country for over 23 years, Hong Kong has failed to carry out its obligation under the Basic Law Article 23 to legislate to protect national security. This has created a vacuum. Certain external forces have exploited this vacuum to further their political gains at the expense of our national security and Hong Kong's interests."

"No country will allow its legislative structure, parliament or congress to be filled up by treasonists, foreign agents or proxies of foreign forces. The Hong Kong electoral system must therefore be protected from exploitation and from foreign interference."

"I must point out to you that the democratic process of Hong Kong started after China resumed exercising sovereignty. No country has monopoly on the model of democracy."

"Feeling sad, helpless and sometimes even furious is not unusual. However, we must prevent sadness developing into hopelessness, prevent anger turning into hatred."

"Dialogue is not the crucial game changing focus anymore. Instead, reconciliation should be the key. The conflict between the protesters and the police, the dissatisfaction towards the performance of the government must be addressed. It is apparent that we must try out best to heal the soul and body of our younger generation. Please do not ask me how to heal the young souls. I really do not know how can that be done without the intervention from the Holy Spirit."

"Go to Church to thank the Lord for another year. The people should understand the difference between what is necessary and what only satisfies a whim."

"For the past decade, we have protested peacefully...but the government did not lend their ears to our views."

"The ban against me isn’t personal, it’s targeting an entire generation."

"坦白說，我從不否定中國的經濟發展，但一個如此強大的國家，要將爭取民主的人送入監牢、限制出入境自由，還要求以進入中國大陸參觀愛國展覽作為取回護照的交換條件，這何嘗不是一種脆弱呢。"

"這數年切身感受到，免於恐懼的自由，是多麼可貴的東西。"

"We fear Hong Kong will become just another Chinese city."

"The Communist Party is fully in charge and they give however much freedom they want to give and can take it away any time they like…"

"At the time (1980s) Beijing was worried that people would all leave. To win their hearts, it (promised to allow) Hong Kong people to rule Hong Kong and to have a high degree of autonomy."

"There are still lingering doubts about the government's sincerity or worries whether the government will restart the process in the Legislative Council, so I reiterate here, there is no such plan. The bill is dead."

"Nothing is more important than the rule of law in Hong Kong."

"A small minority of people do not mind destroying Hong Kong's economy. They have no stake in the society which so many people have helped to build and that's why they resort to all this violence and obstruction, causing huge damage to the economy and to the daily life of the people."

"I don’t want to spend your time, or waste your time, for you to ask me what went wrong, and why it went wrong. But for a Chief Executive to have caused this huge havoc to Hong Kong is unforgivable. It’s just unforgivable. If I have a choice, the first thing is to quit, having made a deep apology, is to step down. So I make a plea to you for your forgiveness."

"I would have this to say – that our primary responsibility is to find the right opportunity and create the necessary conditions for us to put into effect the local legislation, before we need a committee to ensure the legislation is being effectively enforced."

"Some people have told me that the last of the eight [beatitudes] fits me very much: It says, 'Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice's sake,' because there is a place reserved for me in heaven. In fact, nowadays, as you work in the government, you are often criticised for doing what is just."

"If mainstream opinion makes me no longer able to continue the job as chief executive, I’ll resign."

"We can imagine what is possible when we come together in this way by examining the response of Hong Kong’s protest movement to COVID-19. In 2019, a massive anti-government mobilization swept Hong Kong, with people opposing police and seeking greater control over their lives. By the time the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, had an 80 percent disapproval rating. Hong Kong’s protest movement had escalated significantly, with protesters coordinating sophisticated mass mobilizations, including the use of bold tactics like fighting police with poles, projectiles, laser pointers, and petrol bombs. Lam was remarkably non-responsive to the pandemic, despite the vulnerable position of Hong Kong, a densely packed city with a history of epidemics and a high-speed railway connection to Wuhan, where the COVID-19 pandemic started. Hong Kong residents criticized Lam for her delay in closing the city’s borders and her order barring city workers from wearing masks. But, despite the government’s failures, the people of Hong Kong, mobilized by the protest movement, launched a response that suppressed the original wave of COVID-19 and mitigated its resurgence...As a result of these efforts by a mobilized and coordinated movement, and no thanks to the government, Hong Kong had an immensely successful response to the first wave of COVID-19. Through the combination of mutual aid and direct action to force concessions, the protesters did what the government would not do on its own, saving untold numbers of lives."

"We believe the (Hong Kong) government should take the lead (by not wearing surgical mask unless those feeling unwell, working in frontline services or attending crowded places), so we have issued internal guidelines asking all departments to follow this in wearing masks. The goal is to save stocks for medical staff (to deal with patients infected with COVID-19)."

"The life expectancy in Hong Kong is among the highest in the world … you can come to only one conclusion: we have the most environmentally friendly place for people, for executives, for Hong Kong people to live"

"People can go to the extreme like what we saw during the Cultural Revolution. For instance, in China, when people take everything into their own hands, then you cannot govern the place. … [It] was the people taking power into their own hands. Now that is what you mean by democracy if you take it to the full swing."

"All of the members of my new team have displayed in their work a strong sense of pragmatism that I promote. … While the backgrounds of principal officials are diverse, they all share a common commitment to our country, our territory and our people and agree with my governing philosophy."

"In order to reach universal suffrage we need to build trust."

"I should focus on other important issues like people's livelihoods and the economy."