Hong Kong church leaders call for culture of forgiveness in Christmas messages as city deals with rising number of youth suicides
- Catholic Cardinal Stephen Chow says rising numbers of young people engaging in self-destructive behaviour is the ‘most heartbreaking’ issue for city
- Archbishop Andrew Chan of the Anglican church urges people to reach out to those most in need including teenage offenders, the homeless and lonely elderly residents
Hong Kong’s Christian leaders have added their voices to warnings over the rising number of youth suicides, saying in their Christmas messages the city needs a culture of forgiveness and mutual understanding.
Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, head of the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong, said on Friday that among the social and economical struggles the city faced over the year, the rising numbers of young people engaging in self-destructive behaviour was the “most heartbreaking”.
At least 28 primary and secondary school pupils took their own lives in the first 10 months of 2023, marking a four-year high and a 12 per cent increase over the whole of 2022, according to authorities. The education chief cited post-pandemic challenges as one of the reasons.
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Chow said Christmas was a time to remind believers and non-Christians to be “faithful companions” to those struggling in their darkness. He said society also had to give educators time and space for young people.
“Our society needs to strengthen a culture of empathic understanding, tolerance and forgiveness,” Chow said.
“We must also allow our educators to have time, space and energy to accompany them. Walking with each other requires time, inner space and non-judgmental listening to each other’s plights.
“But if our educators are already overwhelmed by the different job-related requirements, they cannot be in a position to learn how best to accompany their students, even if they want to do so.”
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He also called for more effort to help young offenders reintegrate into society and vulnerable elderly residents, the age group with the highest suicide rate.
“Instead of forever remembering other’s faults out of envy, we are to forgive and accept with kindness. Instead of immediately condemning others out of wrath, we are to listen with patience,” he said.
He urged society to reach out to the city’s teenage offenders, the homeless and the growing number of elderly people “forced into loneliness” due to social changes and the emigration wave.
“What we ought to learn and do is: to forgive those who have wronged us, bringing the gift of reconciliation to them and to our society; to walk humbly with those in need, reaching out to them before they ask, showing them that there is still love in this world,” Chan said.
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Concern groups earlier warned that youth suicide had been on the rise since the school year began in September.
The Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong said the city’s return to normality after years of stringent Covid-19 restrictions and an unreasonable level of academic pressure in some schools could be reasons behind the surge.
Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin last month said authorities had been pooling efforts to “build a stronger safety net for students”.
She said the government would connect schools without sufficient manpower to cater to students’ needs with social workers and education psychologists.
