Church in Hong Kong calls for dialogue and democracy

(Vatican Radio) Calm returned to central Hong Kong on Thursday following a series of protests as hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets demanding greater democracy in the former British territory. Protesters were calling for the authorities’ in Beijing to respect the promises made in the Basic Law – the norms set out to govern the territory when it was returned  to Chinese rule in 1989.

These include the right to universal suffrage and the direct election of the chief executive who leads the Territory’s governing authority. They also denounce what they say are attempts to reinterpret Hong Kong’s special status and amalgamate it into the mainland’s socialist system.

Emer McCarthy spoke to the Vicar General of the Diocese of Hong Kong, Fr Michael Yeung, to find out more about the background to the current protests:

Listen: 

Fr Yeung says people are concerned that universal suffrage may not be achieved for the election of the Chief Executive in 2017. He says they are worried that Article 45 of the Basic Law may be very restrictively interpreted or used to set up a nominating committee….”to filter out the people whom the Beijing government would not like to see in office”

Asked about the Church’s stance towards the demonstrators, Fr Yeung says “we do not take sides…..we urge the government and the different stakeholders to ask for universal suffrage…” He says the Church has never encouraged people to occupy the city centre but adds “we cannot forbid them”.  He says government authorities do not derive their moral legitimacy from themselves and must not act in a despotic manner but instead they “must act for the common good.”