Hong Kong Catholics join march to demand genuine universal suffrage
Catholics and Protestants in Hong Kong held a prayer service on Wednesday before joining more than 48,000 people in a march to renew their call for true universal suffrage and a better standard of living for the city’s residents. The demonstration marked the 18th anniversary of the transfer of Hong Kong’s sovereignty to China. The Civil Human Rights Front, an alliance of religious, women’s, political parties and civil groups, organized the march which set off from Victoria Park towards the Central Government Office. Among their demands were amending Hong Kong’s Basic Law, i.e. the autonomous region’s constitutional charter; greater protection for the rights of the disabled and minorities; and greater academic freedom. The disabled demanded more financial subsidies for adapted transport.
Before the march, hundreds of Christians came together for a jointly organized prayer rally at Victoria Park. "We gather here not only to win an electoral system, but because we love, we love our society, we love our nation and we love all our people,” Hong Kong’s Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha told participants at the prayer rally. According to him, under the present political system, they see suffering, social injustice and hardship for the weak. The event also saw the presence of Card Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, and several Catholic and Protestant clergymen. Together, they blessed the congregation before joining the march. Cardinal Zen said he decided to join the July 1 march because it was “a peaceful move to pursue the demand for real suffrage”.
Wednesday’s turnout was noticeably lower than last year when tens of thousands of student-led protesters blocked streets in key districts for 79 days to demand free elections for Hong Kong’s top leader. The movement caught the world's attention but did not result in any meaningful change. (Source: AsiaNews/AP)
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