Card. Tong’s Christmas message: universal suffrage and defense of the family
December 26, 2012: In his Christmas message to the Diocese of Hong Kong, Card. John
Tong has reiterated the request of the Catholic Church for universal suffrage for
the territory in electing the chief executive and parliament. At the same time, he
has stressed the importance of policies that help families in dealing with the economic
and cultural crisis. The cardinal asked for greater support for housing, education
and pensions and reiterated the importance of understanding the family as a unit of
a man and woman, "directed toward the procreation and raising of children."
In
his message, published in the diocesan newspaper, Card. Tong also spoke of his experience
as a year as Cardinal, after his appointment on January 6, 2012.
The Bishop
of Hong Kong, rememberd with joy the vibrancy of local communities, which this year
received 3,500 new members who were baptized at Easter.
With discrete courage,
the cardinal said he had conferred twice with the Government of Hong Kong, in February
and September, presenting the requests of the diocese. "Besides calling for an implementation
of universal suffrage in the election of the Chief Executive and of the legislature,
we urged the authorities to improve current policies on housing, health care, education
and retirement security", the statement added.
Neither Britain at the time
of the colony, nor China after 1997 have ever guaranteed the people of Hong Kong the
opportunity to directly elect their leaders and parliamentarians. Even today, the
chief executive is chosen by an ad hoc committee, and only half of the Parliament
is elected by popular ballot. China has long ruled out universal suffrage for Hong
Kong at least postponing it until after 2017.
In his talks with the government,
the Cardinal pointed out that he also spoke of "stable marriage and harmonious family
life are prerequisites to safeguarding the well-being of society".
Recalling
the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Cardinal reaffirms that the family is composed
of a "mutual self-giving and lifelong commitment between a man and a woman". "While
marriage is intended for the benefit of husband and wife, it is also directed towards
the procreation and upbringing of children "
The cardinal's underscoring this
is urgent because Hong Kong is suffering from a strong demographic crisis. At the
same time, in recent weeks some groups have started to push the government for legislation
to recognize gay marriage.