Seek empathy over revenge, Hong Kong cardinal says in Christmas message

Hong Kong’s top Catholic priest has called for the pursuit of justice through empathy instead of vengeance, while urging for renewed hope in the local and global economy in his Christmas message.

Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, head of the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong, on Monday invited the faithful to await the “promise of joy and hope of Christmas”, despite the “depressive and anxiety-provoking realities”.

He acknowledged the challenges facing Hong Kong and the world, including the slower-than-expected economic recovery, increasingly tense geopolitics and rising mental health problems among the younger and elderly.

But Chow said with “hope and love in our consciousness”, love could be brought to marginalised communities, who were struggling with feeling unwanted and abandoned.

They included prisoners waiting for a new life, married couples who cannot see a sufficiently stable future for childbearing, young people who fail to identify convincing reasons to envisage a hopeful future, and the elderly who are lonely and abandoned, among others.

“It is in our best interest, and that of future generations, when we can help the weaker parties to become stronger so that together we can have a better present and a hope-filled future,” he said.