CNA Staff, Jun 24, 2020 / 13:05 pm
Cardinal John Tong Hon, the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Hong Kong, has rejected concerns that new security and sedition laws for the province pose a risk to religious freedom.
"I personally believe that the National Security Law will have no effect on religious freedom, because Article 32 of the Basic Law guarantees that we have freedom of religion, and we can also openly preach and hold religious ceremonies, and participate in religious activities," Tong Hon told the diocesan newspaper Kung Kao Po this week.
On May 28, the Chinese legislature approved a resolution imposing "security laws" on Hong Kong. These laws aim to criminalize anything Beijing considers "foreign interference," secessionist activities, or subversion of state power, and will permit Chinese security forces to operate in the city.
Hong Kong is a formerly autonomous region of China. Since the handover from the United Kingdom in 1997, it has had broad protections for the freedom of worship and for evangelization compared to mainland China.