Speakers at a diocesan symposium in Hong Kong urged the Catholic Church to strengthen its advocacy for workers and vulnerable communities facing insecure employment, inadequate care services and other social pressures.
The call emerged during a Sept. 11-12 symposium at Saint Francis University marking the 80th anniversary of the Diocese of Hong Kong.
Participants examined five areas of concern: labor, family and caregiving, life and death, social reconciliation and care for the environment.
Professor Mary Yuen Mee-yin of the Holy Spirit Seminary College of Theology and Philosophy said Catholic outreach brings together spiritual mission and social justice, grounded in human dignity and Catholic social teaching.
She traced the Church’s support for industrial workers through groups such as the Young Christian Workers and the Catholic Commission for Labour Affairs.
Today, she said, the Church combines direct pastoral care with advocacy for policy reform addressing precarious employment, the platform economy and the situation of vulnerable workers, including cleaners, security guards and migrant domestic workers.
Professor Au Yeung Tat-chor of Lingnan University described a shift toward “liquefied labour,” in which digital platforms break traditional employment structures into fragmented tasks.
He said employment instability and shrinking benefit coverage have also reached middle-class professions.
Au Yeung criticized Hong Kong’s reliance on cheap migrant labor as a systemic failure in public care and called for wage improvements and expanded public care services.
The speakers said that because most congregation members are ordinary workers, the Church must “stay close to the community, listen to workers’ lived experiences, and press for stronger systemic protections.”
The symposium also examined pressures on families and caregivers as Hong Kong’s population ages.
Professor Wong Yu-cheung of Saint Francis University said the elderly population is projected to reach 2.5 million by 2047, with as many as 500,000 people requiring long-term care.
As traditional family support networks weaken, seniors caring for other seniors now account for nearly 30% of informal caregivers, he said.
Sally Lo Ka-wing of Hong Kong Shue Yan University called for a broader understanding of who should be considered a caregiver, extending beyond middle-aged women to anyone supporting a dependent.
She said caregivers often face burnout and need community support to take essential breaks.
Participants proposed parish-based weekend mutual-aid networks and Sunday consultations with social workers to connect caregivers with professional resources.
Social reconciliation was another focus of the gathering.
Professor Anselm Lam Wing-kwan of the Fu Jen Faculty of Theology of St. Bellarmine said biblical peace is not simply the absence of conflict but a transformation grounded in truth and justice.
He cited pressures facing young people, including housing costs, limited social mobility, identity struggles, shrinking civic space and anxieties over artificial intelligence, as well as declining trust in traditional authorities.
Professor Andrew Kwok Wai-luen of Hong Kong Baptist University said peace requires truth, justice, mercy and mutual connection.
He urged attention to the deeper social tensions behind conflicts and advocated an approach in which marginalized people become active participants in transforming their communities rather than passive recipients of charity.
Cardinal Stephen Chow opened the symposium by stressing the importance of hope amid social disillusionment and conflict.
He urged Catholics to engage in deep listening, prayer and synodal discernment suited to Hong Kong’s social and political context.
At the closing Mass, Chow cautioned against a “messianic mentality,” urging the Church to approach social care by walking alongside others, collaborating and learning together.
