Since 2017, we have been marking our local Pro-life efforts by dedicating the end of May to a series of activities aimed at broadening the message of respect for human life—“Each human being is made according to the image and likeness of God (ref: Genesis 1:26) and enjoys the right to live. This right must be respected from the moment of conception until the natural end of life.”
Over the past year, the Covid-19 pandemic has greatly impacted these activities due to precautionary restrictions to prevent infection, such that even our Pro-life Mass was moved to September, to the Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lady last year. Under the restrictions imposed by the government, attendance was restricted and a hybrid celebration was in place to allow online participation. Yet during these challenging times, we can still maintain a positive mindset. Online mass allows more people to join in at a time and place of their choosing, and allows more flexibility, which we can see as a blessing from God under difficult circumstances. With our annual Pro-life Mass approaching on May 31, we hope the pandemic will be under control, thus allowing more in-person attendance at the event. Let us take a moment to review the challenges and opportunities which have come our way during this demanding time of the pandemic.
Due to border closures and restrictions on movement, the number of abortions in Hong Kong has increased as young women are unable to visit Shenzhen and abort their unwanted babies. The same social distancing measures also result in more young people spending more time at home. With a lack of sex education, this may lead to a rise of unwanted pregnancies. Young mothers from these unwanted pregnancies often feel especially helpless. They are in dire need of support and accompaniment, learning about the sanctity of life and other alternatives to abortion.
Even for young married couples, the pandemic with all other various restrictions, including hospital and clinic visitations, often arouse such fear and anxiety for them that they may plan to bear children later after it is all over. For those with young children, learning at home places additional stress on the couple, making child-rearing much more challenging. Therefore young married couples may delay having children, or even abandon plans to have more.
Due to the social distancing measures imposed by the Government, many public leisure facilities are closed, even religious gatherings have to be relegated to online meetings. This affects all of us physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually, especially among the elderly. The pandemic left many elderly services suspended, forcing the elderly to be often left at home, with a general reluctance for the younger members of family to visit for fear of infecting them. The elderly are less familiar with the technology required for keeping in touch through the internet and as a result, both their mental and physical health may deteriorate.
The pandemic has overturned the existing orderly life of society, affected everyone’s social life, and revealed the radical inequality in the community, fomenting the crisis of uncertainty and vulnerability to emerge. According to the Pontifical Academy for Life, the primary contribution Christian communities can offer is to make sense of the crisis, then formulate policies for medical care employing “an ethics of risk” that are in line with human dignity. According to Archbishop Paglia, a crisis as an organisational fact does not only, point to the need to “overcome difficulties by improving efficiency,” it can also help us understand “more deeply that uncertainty and fragility are constitutive dimensions of the human condition.” “This limitation must be respected and kept in mind in every development project, taking care of the vulnerability of others, because we are all entrusted to each other.”
Healthcare workers have always been selflessly providing care for us during crises and continue to do so in this unprecedented pandemic. They deserve our deepest admiration and gratitude for committing to their duties despite the high risk of infection, thus protecting the lives of Hong Kong people with their own lives. Their spirit of selfless dedication will certainly spread to the hearts of many, providing a ray of hope for the solidarity of humans to come together and surmount the vicissitudes that come our way. As the followers of Jesus Christ to realise His wish, we must be aware that everyone is called to be a witness for the sick and weak, to become a “healing community”, and care about the weakest and most vulnerable ones. Although we are facing a lot of difficulties, we must not forget that the victory of His resurrection is our hope and our strength. While we take care of our loved ones, not only should we spread the message of the sanctity of human life to all, we must also bring the hope given to us by Christ to our brothers and sisters both within and outside the Church.
+ John Cardinal Tong
Our Lady of Fatima
13 May 2021
