John Tong Hon

Early life and ordination

In his youth, Tong Hon spent ten years living in Hua County, Guangdong, before returning to Hong Kong.^[2] His father died in China in 1952, at the young age of 42.^[3]

He earned a master's degree in philosophy from the Chinese University of Hong Kong before earning both licentiate and a doctorate in dogmatic theology at the Pontifical Urbaniana University.^[1][3] He was ordained a priest on 9 December 1966.^[4]

Episcopal career

On 13 September 1996, he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Hong Kong.^[1][4] He was named consultor to the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in 2003, after 24 years of service with their Holy Spirit Study Centre in Hong Kong.^[5][6] In March 2005, he visited Guangzhou on official business as a representative of the pope, along with other Hong Kong religious leaders; they were received at a banquet luncheon by Zhu Zhenzhong, chairman of the city's political consultative committee.^[2]

On 30 January 2008, Pope Benedict XVI named him coadjutor bishop of the Hong Kong Diocese.^[7][8] He had been named by the Church as being in line for Zen's job as early as 2006; however, he stated he felt little excitement at the prospect of taking up the post.^[9] He assumed the post of Bishop of Hong Kong on 15 April 2009 with the retirement of Joseph Zen.

In 2010 as part of his Christmas message, Tong Hon called on the Chinese government to free Liu Xiaobo, activist Zhao Lianhai and all those who are in jail for promoting human rights. He also urged Beijing to release all the clergy from the underground church who are behind bars for demanding greater religious freedom in China. In his message, he expressed four dreams or aspirations he has for the future of his diocese, namely evangelisation, vocations, the Universal Church and acting as a bridge with mainland.^[10]

Cardinal of Hong Kong

On 18 February 2012 he was created Cardinal-Priest of Regina degli Apostoli alla Montagnola.^[11][12] He will have voting rights in papal elections until his 80th birthday. Regarding his elevation, Cardinal Tong said, "I feel inadequate yet grateful" and called the appointment both "an honour and a responsibility".^[3]

On 21 April 2012 Cardinal Tong Hon was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Council for Inter Religious Dialogue.

In October 2012 he served as one of three Presidents-General of the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization.^[13][14]

On Saturday, 30 November 2013, Cardinal Tong Hon was named a Member of the Congregation for Catholic Education by Pope Francis.^[15]

He was one of the cardinal electors who participated in the 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis.^[16]

On 8 March 2014, he was named by Pope Francis to serve as a Cardinal Member of the newly established Council for Economic Affairs, which will oversee the work of the new Secretariat for the Economy, an agency which will have financial regulatory authority over all departments of the Roman Curia.^[17]

In July 2014 Cardinal Tong Hon received three auxiliary bishops to assist him in the running of the diocese, Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, O.F.M., Bishop Stephen Lee Bun-sang and Bishop Michael Yeung Ming-cheung. At the same time, Pope Francis asked Tong to remain Bishop of Hong Kong for three more years.

In 2015, when he would normally have participated in the Synod of Bishops as Hong Kong's representative, he was told that the Vatican could not make an exception for him and he would not be able to participate because he was older than 75, the standard retirement age for bishops.^[18]

His resignation was accepted on 1 August 2017.^[19]

Holy See–China relations

Shortly after he was created Cardinal, Tong said that the diocese of Hong Kong would take up the role of "Bridge Church", and that the local Church was helping the mainland Church to have better formation, reconcile among themselves and achieve full communion with the Holy Father (the Pope) and the Universal Church. He went on to call for prayers for "the reopening of the China-Vatican dialogue" and for "the graces bestowed upon the excommunicated, so that their early repentance could bring reconciliation in our Church and thus the wounds of our Church could be healed." Cardinal Tong Hon said that he is confident that "if Catholics in China were to enjoy full freedom of religious belief and activities, they would not only be able to contribute more fruitfully to the well-being of society, but would also earn for their Motherland a higher reputation in the international community."^[3]

In August 2016 Cardinal Tong Hon revealed that the Holy See and Beijing have reached an initial agreement on the appointment of Catholic bishops in mainland China in an effort to secure a breakthrough in bilateral ties. In an article published^[20] in the latest edition of the weekly diocese publication Kung Kao Po, Cardinal Tong Hon also dismissed criticism that Vatican officials may go against the Holy See's principles and that the dialogue may sacrifice the rights of clandestine churches on the mainland. Tong wrote in the more than 8,000-word article that Beijing was now willing to reach an understanding with the Vatican on the appointment of bishops in the Catholic Church in mainland China and seek a mutually acceptable plan.^[21]

Opposition to LGBT rights

Tong Hon issued a pastoral letter in November 2015 urging Catholics to vote against candidates in the district council elections if they had liberal views on gay rights - including protections against discrimination and same-sex marriage. He argued that certain social movements were "challenging and twisting" core values on marriage and family, and had "shaken society to its core".^[22] In response to the letter, a number of students at the Catholic Caritas Institute of Higher Education in Tiu Keng Leng held a protest during a visit by Tong to a graduation ceremony.^[23]

Several pan-democratic parties criticised Tong's remarks. People Power lawmaker Raymond Chan Chi-chuen said, "The current pope has been calling for respect for the LGBT community. I do not understand why Tong would make such a comment at a time when worldwide Catholics are becoming increasingly liberal in handling the issue." A spokesman for the Labour Party also said that Tong's views differed from the remarks made by Pope Francis.^[22]

That same month Tong criticised the US Supreme Court judgement in Obergefell v. Hodges which had legalised same-sex marriage in the United States.^[24]