Paul Kwong CStJ (Chinese: 鄺保
Paul Kwong CStJ | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Archbishop and Primate of Hong Kong Bishop of Hong Kong Island Bishop of Macau | |||||||||||||||||
Church | Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui | ||||||||||||||||
Province | Province of Hong Kong | ||||||||||||||||
Diocese | Hong Kong Island | ||||||||||||||||
Elected | 3 February 2007 | ||||||||||||||||
Installed | 26 September 2007 | ||||||||||||||||
Retired | 3 January 2021 | ||||||||||||||||
Predecessor | Peter Kwong | ||||||||||||||||
Personal details | |||||||||||||||||
Born | 1950 (age 73–74) | ||||||||||||||||
Nationality | China | ||||||||||||||||
Denomination | Anglicanism | ||||||||||||||||
Education | Lingnan College Church Divinity School of the Pacific University of Birmingham | ||||||||||||||||
Ordination history | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
Paul Kwong | |||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Traditional Chinese | 鄺保 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 邝保罗 | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
Early life and education
editKwong was born to a local Christian family in 1950.[4] His father was a teacher and his great-grandfather, Kwong Yat-sau, was the first Chinese priest in the Diocese of Victoria.[4] Kwong is a fourth-generation Anglican.[4]
Kwong was first graduated from Lingnan College with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language degree in 1977.[5] After graduation, he was admitted to Church Divinity School of the Pacific in 1979 to pursue studies in a Master of Theology degree,[6] then graduated in 1982.[6] Kwong was admitted to University of Birmingham to study a degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1996,[6] then graduated in 2008.[4]
Ministry and public services
editKwong was ordained deacon in 1982[6] and priest in 1983.[5] Upon the ordination, he was appointed curate of Holy Trinity Church in 1983.[4] Three years later, Kwong was appointed vicar of St. Matthias' Church, leading the parish until 1996.[4] He was chaplain to St. John's Cathedral with responsibility for the Mandarin speaking congregation, and also served as assistant to the Archbishop, and Provincial General Secretary.[7]
Kwong was first elected Bishop on 30 December 2005[8] and consecrated on 25 March 2006[9] at St John's Cathedral.[10] Following his consecration, Kwong became Coadjutor Bishop until his predecessor, Peter Kwong, left office on 31 December 2006.[9] He was later enthroned diocesan bishop on 15 January 2007.[11] After being elected by the General Synod on 3 February 2007,[6] Kwong was installed Archbishop on 26 September 2007[12] at St John's Cathedral (Hong Kong).[1] He was reelected Archbishop by the General Synod on 1 June 2013.[13] His advisor for theological and historical studies is Rev Dr Philip L. Wickeri, Professor of Church History at HKSKH Ming Hua Theological College.[14]
Kwong was conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by Lingnan University, his alma mater, on 16 October 2007.[15] Kwong was designated member of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, political advisory body of People's Republic of China, in February 2013.[16]
Kwong was elected chairperson of the Anglican Consultative Council on 15 April 2016 during the Lambeth Conference, succeeding James Tengatenga, then Bishop of Southern Malawi.[17] Prior to this appointment, he has served as the ACC Standing Committee since 2012.[2]
He was also awarded Dean's Cross for Servant Leadership in Church and Society Award by Virginia Theological Seminary on 13 November 2016, making him the first non-American to receive the honor.[18][7] In 2017, he was enthroned as Episcopal Canon of St. George's Cathedral, Jerusalem.[19]
Kwong retired in January 2021, succeeded by Matthias Der, Dean of St John's Cathedral, as the bishop of Hong Kong Island[20] and by Andrew Chan, Bishop of Western Kowloon, as Archbishop of Hong Kong.[21] He was invited by Archbishop Chan to be Archbishop Emeritus of Hong Kong.[22]
Political views
editPaul Kwong has been known for his staunch pro-Beijing stance in Hong Kong.[23] During an interview with the reporters of Echo, official newspaper published by the Province, Kwong stated that a universal suffrage would not be "panacea",[24] numerous social issues in Hong Kong would still exist even after its implementation.[24] He also voiced objection to civil disobedience as a means to strive for democracy in Hong Kong[24] and expressed his reservations about the Occupy Central movement in the same interview.[24]
Controversy
editPro-Beijing homily
editIn a homily he gave to the faithful in St. Paul's Church on 6 July 2014,[25] Paul Kwong ridiculed the 511 protesters who were arrested during a sit-in protest following the annual 1 July rally,[26] suggesting they should "bring along their Filipino maids to the march".[26] He also criticized their lack of critical thinking ability[27] and expressed his perplexity over why some Hong Kong people "have to speak up so much" in that homily.[26]
Kwong then quoted several verses in Book of Isaiah to support his claim[27] that Jesus remained silent in the face of crucifixion, saying, "Jesus remained silent in the face of Pilate. He was like a lamb awaiting slaughter."[26] He further added, "[s]ometimes we don't have to say anything. Silence is better than saying anything."[26]
Kwong also condemned some lawmakers for being "irrational and violent" when expressing opinion in meetings of the Legislative Council,[27] saying, "I don't think he would act like a few councilors we have now, throwing everything around. I don't think that if Jesus was in the streets today, he would use such humiliating words to scold government officials and other people. I don't think that Jesus would express himself with such irrational violence."[26]
Kwong later mentioned a church member's opposition to the government's proposed developments in northeastern New Territories,[27] quoting the church member's assertion that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy.[26] He rebutted the idea,[27] expressing his disbelief that mainlanders would be "given all new flats".[27] Kwong further added, "Hong Kong's autonomy is just partial autonomy, not full autonomy."[27]
Kwong's comments soon sparked controversy among pan-democrats[26] as well as church members.[28] Wu Chi-wai, pastor from Christian and Missionary Alliance, responded that it would be "unfair to use Jesus to fit some personal values and orientation".[26] He also challenged Kwong's claim[26] that Jesus remained silent in contempt of crucifixion.[26] Emily Lau, then-chairwoman of the Democratic Party, criticized him for being too cynical,[29] expressing her disappointment that Kwong "had lashed out at the students".[26] Chan Kin-man, co-organizer of Occupy Central movement, queried Kwong's attitude, saying, "[b]elievers and society expected religious leaders to speak up to manifest the value of their belief."[26]
Bibliography
edit- Kwong, Paul (2011). Identity in Community: Toward a Theological Agenda for the Hong Kong SAR. Münster: LIT Verlag. ISBN 978-3-643-90078-4.
- Kwong, Paul (2013). "The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui." In The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the Anglican Communion, edited by Ian S. Markham, J. Barney Hawkins IV, Justyn Terry et al., 253–62. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-118-32086-0.
- Kwong, Paul and Philip Wickeri (2015). "Sheng Kung Hui: The Contextualization of Anglicanism in Hong Kong." In The Oxford Handbook of Anglican Studies, edited by Sathianathan Clarke Mark Chapman and Martyn Percy, 256–70. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Hong Kong Archbishop & Primate, 1998–2021" (PDF). Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Archives. 20 April 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ a b "ACC Elects Primate as Chair". House of Deputies News. 15 April 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
- ^ Yeung, SC (10 May 2016). "Anglican Church drops Chung Chi to show loyalty to Beijing". EJ Insight. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f "鄺保
羅 -新 傳 網 ".新 傳 網 . Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2017. - ^ a b "鄺保
羅 和 陳 日 君 「各自 精 采 」".信 報 論壇 (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 10 May 2017. - ^ a b c d e "鄺保
羅 獲 選 為 香港 聖 公會 大 主教 ". christianweekly.net. Retrieved 12 May 2017. - ^ a b "VTS Honors The Most Reverend Paul Kwong With Dean's Cross Award". Virginia Theological Seminary. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
- ^ "鄺保
羅 牧師 獲 選 為 .聖 公會 香港 島 教區 候 任 主教 ". christianweekly.net. Retrieved 10 May 2017. - ^ a b "New Archbishop of Hong Kong elected". anglicannews.org. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ "The Province of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Bishops, 1998–2021" (PDF). Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Archives. 20 April 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ "鄺保
羅 陞座聖 公會 港島 教區 主教 (1月 16日 消息 )". christiantimes.org.hk. Retrieved 10 May 2017. - ^ "
本地 教會 第 3320期 ". kkp.catholic.org.hk. Retrieved 10 May 2017. - ^ "
香港 聖 公會 「教 聲 」 -大 主教 選 舉:鄺保羅 大 主教 當選 連 任 ". echo.hkskh.org. Retrieved 13 May 2017. - ^ "The Reverend Dr. Philip Wickeri | www.minghua.org.hk". minghua.org.hk. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "Lingnan to Confer Four Honorary Doctorates at Congregation - Press Releases - Media - Lingnan University". ln.edu.hk. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "
港 區 政 協 多 新人 精 英 雲集 涵各界 -香港 文匯報 ". paper.wenweipo.com. Retrieved 10 May 2017. - ^ "Primate of Hong Kong elected as new chair of Anglican Consultative Council". anglicannews.org. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "
香港 聖 公會 「教 聲 」 - 鄺保羅 大 主教 獲 美國 維珍尼 亞 神學 院 授予「院長 十 架 」". echo.hkskh.org. Retrieved 11 May 2017. - ^ "
香港 聖 公會 「教 聲 」 - 鄺保羅 大 主教 陞座就任 聖 城 聖 佐治 座 堂 法政 主教 ". echo.hkskh.org. Retrieved 9 July 2017. - ^ "
謝 子 和 當選 聖 公會 香港 島 教區 繼承 主教 ". christiantimes.org.hk. Retrieved 7 April 2020. - ^ "
陳 謳明當選 香港 聖 公會 下 任 大 主教 ". CRHK. 18 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020. - ^ "Notice from the Province:The Most Revd Dr Paul Kwong has agreed to become Archbishop Emeritus". echo.hkskh.org/. 11 January 2021.
- ^ "
香港 聖 公會 大 主教 兼 政 協 委員 諷刺 遊行 港 人 "沒 腦 "".法 廣 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 9 July 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2017. - ^ a b c d "
香港 聖 公會 「教 聲 」 -普 選 不 是 萬 靈 丹 ". echo.hkskh.org. Retrieved 12 May 2017. - ^ "
香港 聖 公會 聖 保 羅 堂 Sheng Kung Hui HKSKH St. Paul's Church". dhk.hkskh.org. Retrieved 11 May 2017. - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Reverend Paul Kwong tells congregation that pro-democracy advocates should keep quiet". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g "
聖 公會 大 主教 鄺保羅 嘲 諷7.2被 捕 市民 :不 如帶埋 菲傭去 囉". Apple Daily 蘋果日報 . Retrieved 12 May 2017. - ^ "A Bad Week for ... , July 13, 2014". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
- ^ "鄺保
羅 踩7.1遊行 :出 咁多聲 做乜?". Apple Daily 蘋果日報 . Retrieved 11 May 2017.