Paul Kwong

Biography

Paul Kwong was born to a local Christian family in 1950. His father was a teacher and his great-grandfather, Kwong Yat-sau, was the first Chinese priest in the Diocese of Victoria. Kwong is a fourth-generation Anglican.

Kwong was first graduated from Lingnan College with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language degree in 1977. After graduation, he was admitted to Church Divinity School of the Pacific in 1979 to pursue studies in a Master of Theology degree, then graduated in 1982.

Kwong was ordained deacon in 1982 and priest in 1983. Upon the ordination, he was appointed curate of Holy Trinity Church in 1983. Three years later, Kwong was appointed vicar of St. Matthias' Church, leading the parish until 1996. Kwong was then admitted to University of Birmingham to study a degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1996, then graduated in 2008.

Kwong was first elected Bishop on 30 December 2005 and consecrated on 25 March 2006. Following his consecration, Kwong became Coadjutor Bishop until his predecessor, Peter Kwong, left office on 31 December 2006. He was later installed Bishop on 15 January 2007. After being elected by the General Synod on 3 February 2007, Kwong was consecrated Archbishop on 26 September 2007. He was reelected Archbishop by the General Synod on 1 June 2013.

Kwong was conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws by Lingnan University, his alma mater, on 16 October 2007. Kwong was designated member of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, political advisory body of People's Republic of China, in February 2013.

Kwong was elected chairperson of Anglican Consultative Council on 15 April 2016, succeeding James Tengatenga, then-Bishop of Southern Malawi. He was also awarded Dean's Cross by Virginia Theological Seminary on 13 November 2016, making him the first non-American to receive the honor.

Political views

Paul Kwong has been known for his staunch pro-Beijing stance in Hong Kong. During an interview with the reporters of Echo, official newspaper published by the Province, Kwong stated an universal suffrage would not be "panacea", numerous social issues in Hong Kong would still exist even after its implementation. He also voiced objection to civil disobedience as a means to strive for democracy in Hong Kong and expressed his reservation about Occupy Central movement in the same interview.

Pro-Beijing homily

In a homily gave to the faithful in St. Paul's Church on 6 July 2014, Paul Kwong ridiculed the 511 protesters who were arrested during a sit-in protest following the annual July 1 rally, suggesting they should "bring along their Filipino maids to the march". He also criticized them lack of critical thinking ability and expressed his perplexity over why some Hong Kong people "have to speak up so much" in that homily.

Kwong then quoted several verses in Book of Isaiah to support his claim that Jesus remained silent in the face of crucifixion, saying, "Jesus remained silent in the face of Pilate. He was like a lamb awaiting slaughter." He further added, "[s]ometimes we don't have to say anything. Silence is better than saying anything."

Kwong also condemned some lawmakers for being "irrational and violent" when expressing opinion in meetings of the Legislative Council, saying, "I don't think he would act like a few councilors we have now, throwing everything around. I also don't think that if Jesus was in the streets today, he would use such humiliating words to scold government officials and other people. I also don't think that Jesus would express himself with such irrational violence."

Kwong later mentioned a church member's opposition to the government's proposed developments in northeastern New Territories, quoting the church member's assertion that Hong Kong is losing its autonomy. He rebutted the idea, expressing his disbelief that mainlanders would be "given all new flats". Kwong further added, "Hong Kong's autonomy is just partial autonomy, not full autonomy."

Kwong's comments soon sparked controversy among pan-democrats as well as church members. Wu Chi-wai, pastor from Christian and Missionary Alliance, responded that it would be "unfair to use Jesus to fit some personal values and orientation". He also challenged Kwong's claim that Jesus remained silent in contempt of crucifixon. Emily Lau, then-chairwoman of the Democratic Party, criticized him for being too cynical, expressing her disappointment that Kwong "had lashed out at the students". Chan Kin-man, co-organizer of Occupy Central movement, queried Kwong's attitude, saying, "[b]elievers and society expected religious leaders to speak up to manifest the value of their belief."