Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, S.J. of Hong Kong, has called empathy the foundation of dialogue during a pastoral visit to Australia, where he met Chinese Catholic communities, young people, and Church leaders.
Speaking at the Dom Helder Camara Lecture series in Sydney and Melbourne, Cardinal Chow said empathy enables the Church to listen and walk with people in difficult times.
“With empathy, ‘we can meet in the dialogue and start with a common, shared humanity,’” he said in a report by Sunday Examiner, the official news service of the Diocese of Hong Kong.
The prelate visited the faithful at the Cathedral of Parramatta on September 15 and at Newman College, University of Melbourne, on September 16.
Hong Kong’s young Catholics
Reflecting on the Church in Hong Kong, Cardinal Chow recalled the impact of the 2019 social unrest, when many young Catholics disengaged.
“When we are being sincere with them and share with them the difficulty, many of them would listen… They would try to find out how to approach this together,” he said.
He added that leaders should not hesitate to admit mistakes. Such honesty, he said, becomes “a model for young people—helping them understand that everyone makes mistakes and encouraging them to respond with empathy toward others who are still struggling.”
Church in China
Questions about the Catholic Church in mainland China were also raised at the lectures. Cardinal Chow acknowledged the complex circumstances, noting that while the Holy See and Beijing maintain a provisional agreement on bishop appointments, Hong Kong could contribute by fostering “pastoral exchanges and learning for Christian living” with mainland communities.
Pilgrims of hope
Cardinal Chow said he hoped overseas Catholics could gain a more nuanced view of the Church in China. He stressed that his perspective was limited but could still serve as “a reference.”
Dialogue, he added, “requires patience and cannot be rushed—it is about building long-term relationships.”
The cardinal noted with encouragement that Chinese Catholic communities in Australia are welcoming new members and “are not ageing significantly,” which he said offers an opportunity to live out synodality and the mission of being “Pilgrims of Hope” in the world.
This was his first pastoral visit to Chinese Catholic communities in Australia, undertaken at the invitation of the Dom Helder Camara Lecture series, founded 40 years ago by Br. Mark O’Connor, FMS, to re-engage Catholics and provide a platform for Catholic ideas.
