HONG KONG (AsiaNews/Agencies) – In a solemn ceremony held in St John’s Cathedral Hong Kong, the new Anglican Archbishop Paul Kwong was installed earlier today. Following the rite attended by the faithful, public officials, diplomats and representatives of other religions he outlined his pastoral programme, indicating as his first priority the spiritual and material welfare of the entire population.
Mons. Kwong said that his church will not take part in the campaign for universal suffrage or in “political activities. But it will observe the general social situation in order to see how it can be of useful assistance”. He indicated that his churches immediate priority as well as the government’s most urgent question remains “the growing problem of poverty”.
The new archbishop of Hong Kong, Sheng Kung Hui is bishop of the island of Hong Kong, 56, and boasts a solid pastoral background and good relations with civic authorities. In May he visited Beijing where he met with leaders of the Office for Religious Affairs and other officials.
He succeeds Msgr. Peter Kwong Kong-kit, first Chinese primate of the Anglican Church, who in January 2007 left office. In Hong Kong the Anglican Church ahs three parishes. It has yet to be officially recognised in China.