by Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J.
What a world we are living in today! Living conditions have worsened in recent years. It is becoming more anxiety provoking than the good old days, which were during the post-Second World War economic boom. But now, the economic boom is clearly over, and the baby boomers are retiring.
A growing ageing population, a shrinking labour force, uneven economic expansion accompanied by downturns across different regions, technological advancements, including the leaping development of artificial intelligence, and the relentless expansion of political hegemonies worldwide, both overtly and covertly, are all contributing to global instability. Together with the rise of nationalistic populism in many countries and wars in Europe and the Middle East, these developments have serious global impacts and worsen geopolitical tensions. There seems to be nowhere for us to take shelter from these damaging impacts, which are starting to affect our financial viability, lifestyle, and mental health.
What I have seen in this part of the world is a growing pan-political consciousness of our realities, meaning that political lenses are used to view, understand, and interpret developments and changes in our societies and regions. Political commentaries are readily available, or even intrusively present, through social media and the Internet. And these commentators can be anyone who likes to express their opinions publicly. What impact does this have on us, ordinary citizens and netizens?
For example, my recent trip to Taiwan, where the bishops of Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong gathered, prayed, and exchanged our pastoral experiences, challenges and reflections as brother bishops of the same ethnic background. Sadly, some netizens, through their political lens, viewed and analysed this well-intentioned fraternal visit and speculated whether I was sent by the Mainland Government to recruit bishops in Taiwan, and they debated which name should come first or last. While I understand there may be cultural protocols for the ordering of names, the arguments, however, appeared to be more politically motivated.
Another example concerns our official visits to the Church in the Mainland. For us, these visits meant building bridges of understanding, communication, and connection—a fraternal expression within the Church for mutual understanding, communion, and unity. Again, unity is not about uniformity. As Churches located in different contexts in China, we have diverse local concerns but share the same concern for evangelisation. We carry out context-specific missions, but share one Mission: to proclaim the life-giving and merciful love of Christ.
So, how do we celebrate the unity in plurality that we are called to witness? Instead, we were perceived as “kowtowing” to Beijing and being too sympathetic towards the government. Again, our concern has always been and will continue to be bridging divides, promoting communion and unity and enhancing our capacity for further dialogue with the government and other entities as a synodal Church. Ultimately, it is about the well-being of Christians and people in Mainland China.
When the risen Lord said, “Peace be with you” [John 20:19] to his disciples huddling in the upper room, it signified the peace of redemption through Christ’s resurrection and a transformed life after death. A peace that can only be available from the Lord who has overcome death, which is the trump card of evil. Then the Lord breathed on them, saying “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” [John 20:23]. So, that peace is enhanced with the Spirit of life and love dwelling within us.
If we can let go of our hurt and resentment through forgiveness, we are setting free not just those who are forgiven, but we ourselves as well. Peace and freedom bring us hope. But if we insist on not forgiving, but capitalising on our own hurts or political agendas, we are, in fact, detaining ourselves in the prison of hurt and bitterness.
Is that where we want to end up, judging those who are not with us through an ideological or political lens, no matter whatever they do? Can Christian justice not be better served when we are internally ‘free’ from the biases of hurt, anxiety and vengeance, as well as being ‘hopeful in love’?
+ Stephen Cardinal Chow, S.J.
