HONG KONG, Feb. 19, 01 (CWNews.com/Fides) - The coadjutor
bishop of Hong Kong and local missionaries have said they
are alarmed by growing restrictions on religious freedom in
the former British territory which is now controlled by
Communist China.
In a speech on February 8, Tung Chee-hwa, governor of the
former colony, described the Falun Gong movement as an
"evil cult." Tung was commenting on recent episodes in
Beijing's Tiananmen Square when members of the sect set
themselves on fire. The governor added that he will not let
anyone abuse the freedom and tolerance which exist in Hong
Kong, although he rejects the idea of promulgating an
anti-subversion law in the territory. Falun Gong is a
spiritual meditation movement that gained the attention of
Communist authorities when movement members organized
protests against restrictions.
"To call the Falun Gong an evil cult is alarming, not only
for the movement but also for the Church," Coadjutor Bishop
Joseph Zen wrote in an article in the Sunday Examiner, the
Hong Kong diocese's Catholic weekly. "There is no commonly
accepted definition of an 'evil cult'. An organization is
labeled 'evil' only if it teaches against some important
commonly accepted moral standards: restriction of personal
freedom through physical or psychological manipulation of
family values or endangering one's own or others' lives.
The attempted suicides in Tiananmen Square seem to be
surrounded by question marks. Falun Gong has declared that
suicide is against their doctrine. If one identifies
criticism of the government with evil, then the underground
Catholic Church might be in danger of being branded an evil
cult as well."
Regarding the situation of the Catholic Church in mainland
China, Bishop Zen recalls that "any kind of resistance and
protest, even though peaceful, is not allowed in mainland
China. Since Falun Gong chose to protest in a very public
manner and the government had underestimated their
strength, the sect was declared evil. The underground
Catholic Church has escaped such treatment because their
protest has only been low key and the international
prestige of the Catholic Church cannot be ignored. But what
has been done to the former could easily be extended to
suppress the latter," warns the Catholic leader.
"If Falun Gong is accused of causing disorder in Hong Kong
society, just because of its peaceful protests, then such a
label can be easily applied tomorrow to the Catholic Justice
and Peace Commission, to the diocese. and to many Christian
bodies," he said. Bishop Zen ends by requesting that Tung
amend his statement or accept that he owes the Church some
reassurance.
The Hong Kong media gave ample space to Bishop Zen's
comments. On February 18 in its Sunday edition, the South
China Morning Post, Hong Kong's English daily with the
widest circulation, criticized the attitude of the bishop.
Missionaries in Hong Kong say the SAR government is closing
in on the Catholic Church and her activity in education and
social assistance. In December, the government accused
Catholics schools of fraud for using public structures,
rented as schools, for religious and not educational
purposes. On January 30 the Minister of Education, in an
official letter, warned the Grant Schools Council, which
comprises 22 mostly Catholic and Protestant schools not to
be too conservative in their education system.
Moreover the Hong Kong Women's Christian Council, a
Protestant organization, risks being removed from the list
of charitable organizations and losing tax privileges, on
charges of political activities.