Top Anglican official in Hong Kong defends multi-million dollar flat and past comments critical of Occupy protesters
In rare interview, Most Reverend Paul Kwong explains to Post his comments generating media attention two years ago and today
The archbishop of Hong Kong’s Anglican Church lives in a luxury apartment on scenic Tai Tam Bay and sits on China’s top political advisory body, but he said it was “a loving and caring heart” that defined a Christian leader, not anything else.
In a rare interview, Most Reverend Paul Kwong spoke with the Post on questions raised in the media about his political stances and why he resided at upscale Pacific View complex on Tai Tam Road. It was reported that the apartment cost the church HK$13.4 million in 2006. The latest public records involving Pacific View flats indicated transactions in recent months ranging from HK$19 million to HK$38 million.
When asked why he did not follow his predecessors’ example of staying at Bishop House in Central, Kwong said the building, built in 1851, was too spacious for an unmarried bishop like him.
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“Bishop House has two storeys and a basement. It’s nearly 20,000 square feet,” he said. “Was it more luxurious for me to live there on my own or in a flat?”
Kwong said a committee of the church decided to buy the flat as the church was planning to build new buildings, including a hospital, near Bishop House.
Apart from discussing his living arrangement, Kwong spoke publicly for the first time about a political storm he triggered nearly two years ago.
In July 2014, Kwong talked about “peace of mind” in a sermon and questioned why Hongkongers “speak up so much”. He asked at the time why protesters who complained about being denied water after they were arrested at a sit-in in Central did not “bring along their Filipino maids”.
