Hong Kong gets new bishop after two-year wait
Jesuit Father Stephen Chow Sau-yan has strong faith and strong leadership skills
Updated: May 17, 2021 11:51 AM GMT
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Father Stephen Chow Sau-yan was appointed bishop of Hong Kong on May 17. (Photo: Sunday Examiner)
The Vatican has appointed a 61-year-old Jesuit as the new bishop of Hong Kong after delaying the appointment for more than two years because of diplomatic sensibilities over China’s communist regime.
Father Stephen Chow Sau-yan was appointed on May 17 to succeed Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung, who died on Jan. 3, 2019, leaving the diocese vacant.
“The appointment is a moment of gratitude for the Catholic Church in Hong Kong as it has been prayerfully awaiting the shepherd who will accompany the faithful in these times of socio-political polarization in the city,” the diocese said while announcing the news on its website.
Vatican City, May 17, 2021 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Pope Francis has appointed Fr. Stephen Chow, S.J. as the next bishop of Hong Kong.
Chow, 61, has served as the provincial of the Jesuits’ Chinese Province since 2018. In that role, he led the Jesuit order in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, and mainland China as the Vatican-China deal was first signed and during the crackdown on Hong Kong’s democracy protest movement.
The Vatican announced Chow’s appointment on May 17, more than two years after the death of Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung left Hong Kong without a permanent bishop.
Fr. Stephen Chow Sau-yan, 周守仁, was born in Hong Kong on Aug. 7, 1959. He studied in the United States, earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota, before entering the Society of Jesus in Dublin, Ireland at the age of 25.