ABSTRACT
The Catholic Church is not democratic in nature, but it needs a democratically political environment for its operation and evangelization. The Hong Kong Catholic Church was influenced by Liberation Theology and the Christian social teaching advocated by the Second Vatican Council (1963–1965). It first learned about advocated social justice in the late colonial period, and then later, in the transitional period (1984–1997) heading to the Chinese rule, Hong Kong Catholics participated in the democratization movement as a means to protect religious freedom. After 1997, the Hong Kong Catholic Church intensified its democratic movement under the charismatic leadership of Joseph Cardinal Zen. The Hong Kong Catholic’s participation in democratization is closely related to the Holy See’s relations with China. The outspoken Cardinal Zen was replaced by the soft-spoken Cardinal Tong in 2009, because of a change in Vatican policy towards China. The short reign of Zen (2003–2009) appeared as a bright comet in the dark sky, showing the way, and Hong Kong Catholics have a long way to tread in the future under the heat of the sun.
