Hong Kong religious authorities have joined the growing pressure of the population. On Wednesday, June 19, in a joint statement, Cardinal John Tong Hon, Apostolic Administrator of Hong Kong and Reverend Eric So Shing-yit, President of the Hong Kong Christian Council, declared that he accepted the public and personal apologies and the head of the Executive and the recognition of its shortcomings, while calling on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to appease the population by abandoning the extradition bill rather than suspending it and launching investigations. on accusations of violence against protesters.
The communique of Cardinal Tong and Reverend So Shing-yit was published on June 19, the day after Carrie Lam's public apology for his handling of the events - despite the statement of the head of the executive, she rejected calls for the total withdrawal of the bill. She said that the suspension of the bill was tantamount to withdrawing it because it would no longer be debated and passed by the legislature before the end of its term. Yet the statement issued on June 19 insists on going further: "Although the government has made it clear that the extradition bill has already been 'suspended', we still ask that the government make an explicit public statement announcing that the law has been 'withdrawn' in order to meet the high demands of the population. "Cardinal Tong and Reverend So Shing-yit also called on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government to "launch an independent and thorough investigation into the clashes between the police and demonstrators on June 12 to serve as a lesson in the future. " For its part, the Hong Kong Conference of Six Religious Leaders, which includes Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, and Confucian representatives, also issued a statement to accept Carrie Lam's apology. In their statement, they also ask people to return to their daily routine to end the crisis, while calling on the government to indulge against the protesters arrested.
The Anglican Church of Hong Kong has also issued a letter to the faithful on recent events, commending the youth for its action for the good of society. Biddy Kwok, chairman of the Justice and Peace Commission of Hong Kong, believes that only the resignation of Carrie Lam can put an end to the social conflict. "Even though she apologized, she did not admit any fault and she refused to withdraw the bill. She only said that she would do better during the next three years of her term ",he added. Christians played a visible role against the controversial bill. After Sunday's demonstration on June 16, which took two million people into the street, Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong, participated in a prayer time organized by the young people in front of the Legislative Council. Hong Kong, in the presence of hundreds of Christians. Wong Siu-tung, a spokesman for a group of Christian pastors, also called on the government to resolve the situation by saying that to allow a return to normal, the latter "must take concrete measures, because the rivalry has was provoked by the government, not by the citizens, " believing that Carrie Lam " apologized but did not support them with concrete actions ".
(Églises d'Asie - le 20/06 /2019, With Ucanews and South China Morning Post, Hong Kong)
The communique of Cardinal Tong and Reverend So Shing-yit was published on June 19, the day after Carrie Lam's public apology for his handling of the events - despite the statement of the head of the executive, she rejected calls for the total withdrawal of the bill. She said that the suspension of the bill was tantamount to withdrawing it because it would no longer be debated and passed by the legislature before the end of its term. Yet the statement issued on June 19 insists on going further: "Although the government has made it clear that the extradition bill has already been 'suspended', we still ask that the government make an explicit public statement announcing that the law has been 'withdrawn' in order to meet the high demands of the population. "Cardinal Tong and Reverend So Shing-yit also called on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government to "launch an independent and thorough investigation into the clashes between the police and demonstrators on June 12 to serve as a lesson in the future. " For its part, the Hong Kong Conference of Six Religious Leaders, which includes Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, and Confucian representatives, also issued a statement to accept Carrie Lam's apology. In their statement, they also ask people to return to their daily routine to end the crisis, while calling on the government to indulge against the protesters arrested.
The Anglican Church of Hong Kong has also issued a letter to the faithful on recent events, commending the youth for its action for the good of society. Biddy Kwok, chairman of the Justice and Peace Commission of Hong Kong, believes that only the resignation of Carrie Lam can put an end to the social conflict. "Even though she apologized, she did not admit any fault and she refused to withdraw the bill. She only said that she would do better during the next three years of her term ",he added. Christians played a visible role against the controversial bill. After Sunday's demonstration on June 16, which took two million people into the street, Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong, participated in a prayer time organized by the young people in front of the Legislative Council. Hong Kong, in the presence of hundreds of Christians. Wong Siu-tung, a spokesman for a group of Christian pastors, also called on the government to resolve the situation by saying that to allow a return to normal, the latter "must take concrete measures, because the rivalry has was provoked by the government, not by the citizens, " believing that Carrie Lam " apologized but did not support them with concrete actions ".
(Églises d'Asie - le 20/06 /2019, With Ucanews and South China Morning Post, Hong Kong)