Foreign Policy Research Institute A Nation Must Think Before it Acts The Roman Catholic Church and Hong Kong’s Long March Toward Democracy

The Roman Catholic Church and Hong Kong’s Long March Toward Democracy

In the dark shadow of Islamist terrorist attacks—including in Indonesia and Turkey in 2003—aimed at destroying democratization in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, virtually no attention is being paid to how some religious organizations might be a vital force to effect democratic transition. The Roman Catholic Church in Hong Kong is a case in point. Led since October 2002 by Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, who succeeded the late Cardinal Wu as head of the Hong Kong diocese, the Church is playing a decisive role in trying to peacefully plant democracy in the region. This is the mirror image of groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah and Al Qaeda, whose demonstrated focus is slaughter.

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