Chow tells of surprise at being appointed cardinal by Vatican

Hong Kong Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan said he was surprised at being chosen by the Vatican as one of the 21 new cardinals and hopes to bring reconciliation to the SAR with his new role.

Pope Francis on Sunday announced he has chosen 21 new cardinals, including prelates from Jerusalem, South Sudan and Hong Kong - where Catholics are a small minority, while 18 of them are below age of 80 - as he believes the candidates will show that the religion is universal.

Chow is the fourth cardinal of the Diocese of Hong Kong, following John Wu Cheng-chung, Joseph Zen Ze-kiun and John Tong Hon, as well as being the tenth Chinese cardinal.

A consistory for the creation of 21 new cardinals from around the world will be held at the Vatican on September 30.

Speaking to reporters outside the Catholic Cathedral of The Immaculate Conception in Mid-Levels yesterday, Chow said the Pope's appointment had surprised him.

"I thought that my friend had misheard it," Chow said, adding the cardinalship brings a strong sense of responsibility.

"I think being a cardinal is a new mission to me that was entrusted by God through the Pope," Chow said as he hopes to bring reconciliation to the society to allow residents to recover from the past.

Chow called on the public to show sincerity and let go of prejudices in order to mend social rifts as he had hoped the government were kind toward the arrested protesters of 2019.

"I hope there will be more faith for the youths, it is crucial and especially for those who have committed crimes which allows them to have a better future, but of course that requires a lot of cooperation."

Chow will continue his service in Hong Kong as the bishop.

"I will first see if the Pope is going to assign me a particular mission, so currently I will remain in my service."

Chow was appointed Bishop of Hong Kong in May 2021, filling the vacancy left by the death of his predecessor, Michael Yeung Ming-cheung in January 2019.

In April this year, Chow went on a five-day trip to the Beijing archdiocese, making him the first Hong Kong Bishop to visit since the handover.

Chow said that he believes it is everyone's duty to be patriotic during the visit as "everyone would want their own country to do well."

"The Diocese of Hong Kong will continue to be a bridge to the mainland and the Vatican and continuously improve relations between the two places," he said.