SW News: In April, Bishop Stephen Chow of the Diocese of Hong Kong will go to Beijing to strengthen relations between the Church in the city and the mainland. The Hong Kong Catholic Diocese released a statement last week confirming the prelate’s upcoming five-day trip, which will start on April 17. It is in response to an invitation from Bishop Joseph Li Shan of Beijing last year.

Bishop Chow, 63, accepted the offer "in the spirit of brotherhood in the Lord," as stated in a recently issued diocesan communiqué. According to a Reuters article from Friday, a diocesan spokesperson said this would be the first formal trip by a Hong Kong bishop to Beijing since 1994 when Hong Kong was still a British territory.

The journey, the bishop said in his letter, "underscores the Diocese of Hong Kong's obligation to serve as a bridge... and build exchanges and ties between the two sides." Bishop Chow and his group will meet with local bishops, priests, and laypeople while they are in China. The delegation will also visit two major religious institutions in China, the Beijing Major Seminary and the National Seminary of the Catholic Church in China.

Meanwhile, the bishop has requested the prayers of his Christian flock in the hopes that his upcoming trip may bear fruit. When the bishop gets to Beijing, he will take part in the vespers service and a Thanksgiving Mass at the city's cathedral. His schedule also includes a stop at the recently canonized Father Matteo Ricci's grave. In addition, there will be possibilities to reunite with old acquaintances who have migrated from Hong Kong to Beijing.

In May 2021, Pope Francis appointed Chow as the bishop of Hong Kong. The city has been a safe haven for Catholics on the border of mainland China for decades, even though the officially atheist Chinese Communist Party has sometimes persecuted Catholics and people of other faiths there.