Hong Kong’s top Catholic priest Stephen Chow made a cardinal by Pope Francis, calling role important bridge between ‘China and universal church’
- Chow was among 21 bishops promoted in ceremony hosted by pontiff at St Peter’s Square, making him fourth in city’s history to hold the title
- He tells Vatican News he would like to see ties between China and the universal church ‘come closer’
Hong Kong’s top Catholic priest Stephen Chow Sau-yan was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in Rome on Saturday, a role which the city’s diocese leader said was an important bridge between “China and the universal church”.
Chow was among 21 bishops promoted in the ceremony hosted by the pontiff at St Peter’s Square, making him fourth in the city’s history to hold the title.
The 64-year-old follows in the footsteps of late John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung, Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, 91, and John Tong Hon, 83.
In a speech marking occasion, Pope Francis compared the College of Cardinals to a symphony orchestra.
“A symphony thrives on the skilful composition of the timbres of different instruments: each one makes its contribution, sometimes alone, sometimes united with someone else, sometimes with the whole ensemble. Diversity is necessary,” he said.
The Pope announced the selection of new cardinals in July during one of his traditional Sunday weekly public appearances.
Chow was quoted in Vatican News as saying he was “surprised” by the appointment, and that he was having dinner with his family when he found out.
