CV NEWS FEED // Benedict Rogers, CEO and cofounder of religious freedom organization Hong Kong Watch, has warned that the new state security law approved unanimously by Hong Kong’s assembly will affect freedom of religion and in particular, the seal of the Catholic Sacrament of Confession.
The pro Beijing city parliament unanimously passed a new security law, Article 23, which targets new offenses related to freedom of thought or expression, since it penalizes, with up to life in prison, “undercurrents that try to create troubles”, particularly “ideas of an independent Hong Kong.”
On March 13, when the law was still being discussed, sixteen religious freedom experts released a statement expressing “profound and grave concerns” about Article 23, arguing that it would sentence priests up to 14 years in prison for not informing authorities of “treason” made known to them in the confessional.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region responded fiercely to the statement on March 14, claiming that Article 23 “do not target religious personnel or followers, and have nothing to do with freedom of religion;” even if the statement was not remiss in adding that “freedom of religion is not for protecting anyone who has committed serious offenses from legal sanctions.”
Before the new restrictive law was passed, the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong released a short statement claiming that “the legislation of Article 23 will not alter the confidential nature of Confession (Sacrament of Reconciliation) of the Church.”
But British Catholic convert and religious freedom activist Benedict Rogers told CatholicVote on March 19, only hours after Article 23 was approved, that “despite the assurance by the Catholic Diocese in Hong Kong that the ‘Seal of Confession’ will be upheld, there are still very real concerns that the new security law could be weaponized against the confidentiality of Confession.”
“For example,” explained Rogers, “it is possible that priests may come under pressure from the police, it is possible that the government and the Chinese Communist Party may infiltrate churches and increase surveillance, and it is also very likely that for these reasons penitents may feel less comfortable going to Confession. The new law represents a serious threat to religious freedom.”
>> Report: Religious Freedom ‘Collapsing’ in Hong Kong as Communist Party Tightens Control <<
Hong Kong Watch has released a collection of statements from 75 international parliamentarians and public figures, including US Senator Marco Rubio.
“The Chinese Communist Party stops at nothing to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy and democracy. As Beijing’s aggressive erosion of Hong Kongers’ basic freedoms continues, the international community must unite in condemnation of these actions and fight for justice and accountability,” Senator Rubio says in the statement.
