Cardinal Stephen Chow has called on the faithful in Hong Kong to join in praying for and blessing the newly elected Pope Leo XIV who has emphasised a need for people throughout the world to show love through dialogue and compassion and build a church that can help the poor.

Chow's call came after the 69-year-old Augustinian priest, whose name is Robert Francis Prevost, became the first of 267 popes in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church to be elected from the United States.

Speaking in a statement on behalf of the Hong Kong Catholic Church, Chow said the new pope emphasises "bridge building, a synodal church and a church for the poor".

"He urges the faithful all over the world to make a collective effort in creating a more harmonious world with love and inclusivity," Chow said in the statement.

"Together with the faithful, Cardinal Stephen Chow, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, gives thanks to God for choosing Pope Leo XIV.

"They pray that God will bless him abundantly in his future ministry as the Supreme Pastor of the Roman Catholic Church."

Colten Yam, assistant professor at the Divinity School of Chung Chi College and the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies at Chinese University, said he believes the new pontiff, who is also the first Augustinian friar to lead the church, will be "collegial" and "humble".

"If we look at the Augustinian order, it emphasised a lot on living together, common life and equality among the friars... It means that he wants to work among the Catholics as a fellow Christian, other than 'I'm a boss'," he told RTHK.

Yam added that Pope Leo XIV's dual identities as both an American and a naturalised Peruvian citizen will help bridge the west and the Global South.

"Perhaps his election was a kind of compromise, bridging between the North America and the Global South.

"I think he will not associate himself with the US (very much)... and he also criticised the US policies right now."

Shue Yan University's Anthony Lam said the new pope could assist socially-disadvantaged communities around the world in a very practical manner. given the high regard in which he is held by cardinals from around the world in electing him.

Lam, an assistant professor in the department of journalism and communication, said Pope Leo's more than 20 years of work in Peru as a missionary and then archbishop of Chiclayo means he has a good understanding about the plight facing socially-advantaged communities.

"He was working for the poor in South America, and it must have been a hard experience," he told RTHK.

"He would have encountered issues of hunger or poverty, or individuals who did not get the opportunity to develop themselves, as well as the plight brought by such deprivation.

"These problems are very real; they are real difficulties in life, so I believe if he tries to solve such issues, he will adopt a very practical approach to truly help those in difficult situations."
_____________________________
Last updated: 2025-05-09 HKT 19:37