Cardinal Stephen Chow, S.J., the bishop of Hong Kong, reflected on the death and legacy of Pope Francis in this interview with America and shared his feelings as he prepares to enter the conclave where he will cast his vote to elect the 266th successor of St. Peter.
I spoke with him on April 28 in the Jesuit Curia, not far from the Vatican, where he is staying until he enters the conclave on May 7.
He began by sharing his reaction to the death of Pope Francis. When he first heard the news, he said: “I thought it was a bad joke, a terrible bad joke. Like, in the past, when Francis was in hospital, people said he’s dead, that type of thing. So I said, another bad joke.” But once he verified that the news was true, he said: “It was really shocking because we were expecting that he was recovering. But then, on Easter Sunday, when I saw him on TV, he looked terrible.”
Hong Kong Catholics “were really shocked, too,” he said. “People didn’t believe it at first, but once the news sank in, people expressed a lot of sadness and of missing him. I miss him myself.” Likewise, he said, “A lot of the Catholics in the mainland also expressed sorrow.” The foreign ministry in Beijing issued a statement after the pope’s death, but, as America subsequently confirmed, the People’s Republic of China sent no official representative to the funeral, while the Republic of China (Taiwan) sent a delegation.
Asked about the 12-year pontificate, Cardinal Chow said, “I think Francis’ impact was universal, and not just in Hong Kong or in China, where there is now a provisional agreement on the nomination of bishops.” He added: “I think Francis really changed the face of the church as a whole. In the past, many people saw the church as an institution, not much in touch with them and kind of standoffish…. But Francis changed it. And so today it’s a lot more human, better connected with the different groups of people in the world, including non-Catholics and with other religions. He always emphasized being an inclusive church, and famously said in Lisbon at World Youth Day, the church is for everyone, everyone, everyone. Todos, todos, todos. That’s important.”
Cardinal Chow, who attended the pope’s funeral, said that what attracted him most to Francis was the pope’s emphasis on the God of mercy and the joy of the Gospel, both of which set the tone of his papacy.”
By emphasising mercy and joy, he said, Pope Francis reached the hearts of many people. “I think a lot of people are missing Francis precisely because of that,” Cardinal Chow said. “He touched people’s lives in this way. I find that whenever I talk to people, they tell me they are really impressed by the compassion of the pope, the pope of the people.” Indeed, he said, “by his focus on mercy and joy, Pope Francis gave us a roadmap for the future.”
Synodality
The cardinal attended the two synods on synodality in October 2023 and 2024 and said synodality is the element he felt most affected the church in Asia. “It’s what’s touched us because I think our Asian culture puts a lot of emphasis on community and family. Synodality is pretty much speaking to those values, too. So we really buy that,” he said.
He agrees with Pope Francis that “synodality is the future for the church in Asia, and elsewhere,” and added that he is “confident in saying this.” He recognizes that “not everyone subscribes to it to the same degree, and there are different ways of understanding synodality. That’s the reality. I think those who were at the synod, in general, but perhaps not everyone, really want the church to become a synodal church.”
He said that much depends on whom the cardinals elect in the conclave, but he expressed the hope that under the next pope, “synodality will continue to move on and we will continue to discern. It’s not something that is fixed. Synodality is still a developing thing. We need to continue to discern how the church will move forward as a synodal church.”
He acknowledged that “some people still find discernment a bit fuzzy, a bit ambiguous, because they’re not used to that. It’s understandable.” But, he emphasized, “certainly synodality is not democratization of the church, but there are people who are still worrying about that, too. They still don’t understand, they think that we’re getting rid of the hierarchy. That’s not the case. But they will not be convinced until they experience it themselves.”
“I believe synodality is really the work of the Holy Spirit,” Cardinal Chow said. “Having the church to witness to a world that is so divisive, nationalistic and egoistic means that we [in the church] must work together. We have to learn to do that in the church, and this doesn’t come naturally, even with the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Spirit. We still have to learn to listen to each other with empathy, with respect, with depth. Then we can discern and work together. I truly believe this is the gift that we are called to witness to and share with the world today.”
The church in Asia
At this conclave, there are 23 electors from Asia, more than in any previous conclave in history. “This was a deliberate choice by Pope Francis,” Cardinal Chow said. But he counseled against thinking the Asian electors would all be of a similar mind. “There’s not one Asian culture. So there’s not one Asian consciousness,” he said. “But we have some shared values, such as harmony and togetherness and synodality; we also have discernment, spiritual conversations. Those are the values we treasure, and they work for unity in plurality, unity in diversity.”
Some have claimed that Francis’ pontificate polarized the church and assert the need for unity now, but Cardinal Chow said he does not share the view that the church is more polarized today, and noted that there was also polarization under previous popes. At the same time, he said, “the church always needs unity, regardless [of who’s pope].”
Some have criticized Francis for the document “Fiducia Supplicans,” on the blessing of persons in same-sex unions. But, the cardinal said, “a lot of people criticize that without really reading the document. I think when people honestly read the document, they see it is quite clear that we are not blessing the union. We are blessing the two people.” He said he often responds to this criticism by saying that “people come to me, and ask me for a blessing either after Mass or here on the streets. Should I ask them: ‘Are you gay? Are you divorced?’ I just bless the person who asks. So I think the document is saying that we can actually bless those who ask.”
As for those who criticized Pope Francis for his outreach to Islam, Cardinal Chow said: “In Hong Kong, we have six religions, and Islam is one of them, and we have regular meetings and talk to them. We are friends; we have common values. Francis made it more possible for us to get closer; he united us more. He actually made it easier for us to talk to each other, to have more trust and respect for each other. There are always fanatics, fundamentalists, in every religion, as Francis would say, and it may be difficult to have dialogue with them, but the majority of them are not like that.”
Commenting on the provisional agreement on the nomination of bishops reached between the Holy See and mainland China under Pope Francis, the Hong Kong cardinal said: “At least now with the agreement, there’s a formal need for meeting on a regular basis to talk about progress. So there is something in place for the two sides to talk.” He acknowledged that “some Catholics don’t like the agreement, but what I’ve learned is that they want the church and China to have a better understanding, to have a better relationship. It’s not a good thing to be antagonistic with each other. This is also true for Hong Kong. We know that Pope Francis was a bridge builder and would want that kind of bridge building to continue.”
The conclave
Less than two years ago, in September 2023, Pope Francis gave the red hat to Hong Kong’s Bishop Stephen Chow, and next week, Cardinal Chow will enter the conclave to elect the next pope. When I asked how he felt about this important task, he said: “To be honest, I wish I did not have to vote because I wish that Francis were still alive. But it is a fact that he has left us. So this is something we have to face. And I am really praying.
“Now I know that people, different people, have different understandings of the conclave and say: ‘Oh, the Holy Spirit does not choose. The Holy Spirit only gives us that freedom and space to respond, to make our choice. But I think if we go with discernment, we have to go back to our heart, the prompting of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Because that’s where the Holy Spirit communicates; and he will give us some kind of inclination…[suggesting] this one is better, this is more suited…. I can’t say for sure now, but certainly that’s how I feel in discernment. We will have a better sense of peace and certainty when [we make] one choice over the other. But this is not going to be easy because I’m sure there are different factors we have to consider. So it’s not just the person who looks nice.”
Asked whether he expects the conclave to be long or short, the cardinal said he hopes “it’s not going to be too long.” Whatever its length, he said, casting a vote to choose the pope “is a big responsibility.”
“People ask us, ‘Please pick a pope that would be good for us, good for the world.’ As if we are the ones who make the decision as to who is the best for the church and for the world, so we really have to go back to pray to the Holy Spirit. So I can only say I respond as genuinely as possible to what I believe the Holy Spirit is moving me to do.”
He concluded the interview by revealing that as he prepares to enter the conclave, he is not too worried about getting elected. “I say my safety index is very high,” he said. “I have no Italian. And I’m a Jesuit.”
