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(Vatican Radio) Three Hong Kong activists have asked the High Court to review an election commission ruling that could bar anyone advocating for independence from China from standing in an upcoming poll. The move marks the first legal challenge to the decision that was supported by the Chief Executive, Beijing's representative in the city.

For the first time, candidates for September's Legislative Council election will be required to pledge that Hong Kong is an "inalienable" part of China.

A poll released by the Chinese University of Hong Kong at the weekend showed about one in six residents want the Special Administrative Region of China to become independent of the mainland.

Tensions have grown over the past two years, with activists saying China is failing to abide by the Basic Law agreement regulating its ‘one country, two systems’ status.

Mary Yuen works as a researcher in the Centre for Catholic Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong where a popular protest movement began. Philippa Hitchen visited the campus last week during a meeting of the Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network. She talked to Mary about the role of the Church and about the concerns of those supporting Hong Kong's ‘umbrella’ or ‘occupy movement’….

Listen: 

Mary talks about the origins of the growing protest movement, started by students groups in the wake of a decision by China’s National People’s Congress to set conditions for candidates standing for the Legislative Council that elects Hong Kong’s Chief Executive.

Though the Basic Law clearly says that the people of Hong Kong have the right to elect their leader, Mary says many people are “really disappointed” by the increased screening of candidates and no longer see the selection process as “a real, authentic election by the people”.

Church calls for peaceful protest

She says the Catholic Church continues to support democracy and Cardinal Tong has published several statements to this effect, insisting on the need for peaceful protest. She says Church leaders are still hopeful the government "will hear their requests" and stop screening out candidates with different political opinions.

She says concerns about pressure from Beijing have been growing significantly under the current Chief Executive who, she says, is not creating an atmosphere of harmony, democracy and stable government. Instead she believes he is creating greater conflict and divisions by labelling people as enemies. Not just the pan-democratic parties, she notes, but even most pro-establishment people do not want him to run again in the next election because he “has not created a good atmosphere of cooperation among people” with different political opinions.

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis begins a 5-day pastoral visit to Poland tomorrow during which he will attend the World Youth Day gathering in the city of Krakow and also visit the former Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz–Birkenhau.  Other highlights of his journey include a visit to the revered Monastery of Jasna Gora at Czestochowa where the Pope will celebrate a Mass marking the 1050th anniversary of the baptism of Poland.

Our correspondent in Krakow covering this papal visit is Lydia O’Kane and she filed this report on the atmosphere in the city on the eve of the Pope’s arrival:  

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Krakow, Poland, Jul 26, 2016 / 06:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As World Youth Day approaches, the Archbishop of Krakow recently spoke with EWTN Deutschland about the “city of saints” hosting the gathering, and about its most famous son – St. John Paul II.

“You ask me where I have seen [John Paul II's] holiness. Well, we know that he was a very talented man – a writer, a poet, a speaker, an actor; but most of all, a great pray-er,” Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz told EWTN's Robert Rauhut.

Cardinal Dziwisz was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Krakow in 1963 by St. John Paul II, who was then an auxiliary bishop of the city. Wojtyla was appointed archbishop the following year, and then-Fr. Dziwisz became his secretary soon thereafter – a role in which he served until the Pope's death in 2005.

He said St. John Paul II “had already discovered the importance of prayer as a boy back in Wadowice. He organized his whole life in a way such that it had a great reference to God; such that his life became a prayer to the Lord himself … He did not split his time between work, sports, and prayer … Everything he did served the Lord's will, in some way.”

“He granted audiences, he held different meetings, but the people who were close to him knew he was praying even then.”

The cardinal reflected that when one of the Pope's staff would tell him of a difficult situation to which they couldn't find a solution, St. John Paul II would reply, “I do not see one either, because we have not yet prayed enough … Let us introduce this matter to the Lord: a solution will then arise in some way; the issue will solve itself, always through prayer.”

St. John Paul II's prayerfulness was “with him from the time he was a child,” Cardinal Dziwisz reflected. “His father played a great role for that matter. He taught him the prayer to the Holy Spirit, which accompanied him his whole life. Even on his last Saturday, on the day he died, he recited this prayer to the Holy Spirit.”

He added that St. John Paul II was also very devoted to the Virgin Mary and the rosary: “for him that was always a Christological prayer: contemplation of the work of redemption with the Mother of God.”

The late Pope spent time in Eucharistic adoration daily, and made a Holy Hour every Thursday. Cardinal Dziwisz said St. John Paul II “encouraged us to compensate the time that the Apostles overslept” during Christ's agony in the garden.

St. John Paul II “saw the positive in everyone,” which Cardinal Dziwisz attributed to “his theology – the picture of God in men, this appreciation towards everyone.”

The saint's legacy is kept alive particularly through his magisterium, the cardinal said, calling it “a point of reference in many areas,” especially the family: “He has left us a great doctrine in that field.” As an exemplar he mentioned Familiaris consortio, St. John Paul II's 1981 apostolic exhortation on the role of the Christian family in the modern world, noting that Pope Francis' own recent exhortation on the family “quotes John Paul II many times.”

Cardinal Dziwisz also reflected on the central role that the Church played in the development of Poland as a nation – the country is celebrating the 1050th anniversary of its conversion this year. “Without a doubt, the Church played an important role in the first days of the Polish state and it still is significant for our people today,” he said.

Krakow became the Polish capital in 1038, and was then also deemed the “center of culture, Christianity and religiosity in Poland.” One of its early bishops, St. Stanislaus of Szczepanów, can be called the “conscience of the nation,” Cardinal Dziwisz said, noting that he was martyred “defending human rights and defending the freedom of conscience.”

St. Stanislaus “was the first to show that the Church is to serve the people and that it should do so in an autonomous way, not serving on behalf of the state, but with it … he demonstrated the sovereignty of Church authority from the state authority. That is how the church in Poland was upheld back then and is maintained today. Of course, both institutions cooperate for the common good, but in general, we deal with two independent orders.”

Cardinal Dziwisz affirmed that Krakow “is indeed a 'city of saints'. No further place –except for Rome – has as many saints as Krakow. Here, we have many churches, and the quantity of churches is an expression of how religious the city is. Almost every church contains a grave of a saint. It has been like that all the time and we have numerous contemporary saints.”

He noted St. Albert Chmielowski, who founded religious congregations and died in 1916, and who “was a role model for John Paul II.”

St. John Paul II's pride in his native Poland showed a healthy and postive patriotism, Cardinal Dziwisz reflected. “He very strongly underlined the difference between 'nationalism' and 'patriotism'”, he explained. “Nationalism is negative. By contrast, patriotism is positively connotated; it is something you have to develop. Patriotism entails a religious aspect. He was indeed a patriot of Poland … he always appreciated the culture of Poland, the Polish Church, of which I derive from, and the Polish people. He saw their great values. Hence, he tried hard: he was familiar with the European culture and its values. He was of the opinion that both the west and the east frame contemporary Europe.”

Cardinal Dziwisz believes St. John Paul II supported a united European community, albeit one based on Christian values.

“Without values, without the Christian culture on which Europe has evolved, the community would not be able to survive. So we have to return to those values, to his prophetic idea. If we will not, the already unstable community will suffer from greater problems and a crisis.”

St. John Paul II's prophetic vision of Europe is needed today, Cardinal Dziwisz said: “It is the job of contemporary people, contemporary Europeans. It is up to the youth who make a pilgrimage to Krakow, to celebrate their faith here, their belonging to God, to Christ, and to the community of Christian culture.”

The late Pope developed a close friendship with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who succeeded him as Benedict XVI, the Krakow archbishop then explained. “He cherished Cardinal Ratzinger a lot, whom he wanted to have on his side right from the beginning of his pontificate ... He knew right from the start that Cardinal Ratzinger was necessary to keep clear the matters of theology, particularly the disputable ones or uncertainties. He was convinced of him due to his enormous intellectual skills, his educational background, his abilities and skills for dialogue … they were a team, connected in mutual trust, in their dedication to work. They appreciated each other, so what they had was certainly something you might call a mutual understanding and a friendship.”

Krakow is particulary important as “the capital of mercy,” its archbishop added. It was here that St. Faustina Kowalska, to whom the Divine Mercy devotion was revealed, spent her last years. “Next to her as an apostle of divine mercy, receiving the message on behalf of the whole world, God has provided for a second apostle to realize this message,” he said, indicating St. John Paul II. “The idea of Divine Mercy has always been present in some way in his magisterium, his documents, his homilies and speeches.”

From Krakow “a spark will arise,” Cardinal Dziwisz said, “a spark of Divine Mercy, just as Sister Faustina once wrote.”

“That spark will assist to deepen the religious life in the world. We do have the hope that the young people will familiarize themselves with this dispatch, this message of Divine Mercy here, and that they will bring it to all countries … because young people from almost 200 different countries will come to Krakow” for World Youth Day, he said.

“It is due to providence that the youth will celebrate a festival of mercy this year here in Krakow,” Cardinal Dziwisz said. “The Lord wants to show us something, he wants to show us that this is the way to the future, the way of the Church, the way of societies… However, mercy means reversal and conversion, as well. We see that many people come to confess: they are keen to reconcile with God, but also with other people. Mercy – that is God's love to the people, who are also obliged to communicate and to share love and mercy. In this context works of mercy develop.”

He gave as an example the location of the World Youth Day events, saying that “anticipating the Holy Father's intention, two houses have been built there, already! There is the house of bread, in which the poor are welcome to find shelter. It also has medicine for the sick; medical consultation or rehabilitation is conducted there. So we will not only celebrate and be happy there, but something will stay there permanently. We are already preparing cars and ambulances which will drive to Syria. The issue is not simply to announce mercy, but to live it by taking actions.”

Cardinal Dziwisz also noted the need for catechizing the youth.

Good catechesis “is always needed, because ignorance is dangerous. Once the human being is afraid or does not know what to do next, he or she is most likely to be subjected to all different kinds of tendencies” that they need to be guarded against.

“The next point is to be with society, without merging with politics. We want to achieve a positive cooperation, but we also want to stay independent,” he said. “Let us go back to Stanislaus, and be open for everyone, not shutting ourselves off to any political group. That will brings back the people's trust in us. That way we ensure that everyone can feel at home in the Church. No one will be locked out.”

“Indeed, the task is indeed not easy; but living in a democracy, we have to understand to be independent concerning our service to society and the Church.”

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Vatican City, Jul 26, 2016 / 07:27 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis has decried the “absurd violence” which has left an elderly priest dead after his church in northern France was taken hostage during Mass.

In a statement released Tuesday by the Vatican, the Pope, having been informed of the situation, “participates in the pain and horror of this absurd violence,” while radically condemning “every form of hatred.”

The statement said the pontiff is praying for those affected by the tragedy, which took place in the Normandy region, adding that the Vatican is following the situation.

Fr. Jacques Hamel, 84, was killed Tuesday after two armed gunmen stormed a church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray during Mass, the BBC reports. The assailants entered the church and took the celebrating priest and four others hostage.

The BBC further cites police sources which say the priest’s throat was slit in the attack.

Reuters reports that both of the hostage takers were shot dead by police. Authorities say one of the hostages has been critically wounded, the BBC reports.

According to the ISIS-linked Amaq news agency, the assailants were "two soldiers of the Islamic State," the BBC reports.

“We are especially moved because this horrible violence took place in a Church -- a sacred place in which God’s love is announced -- with the barbaric murder of a priest and the involvement of the faithful,” the Vatican’s statement read.

“We are close to the French Church, the Rouen archdiocese, to the affected community, and the French people.”

Pope Francis has also sent a telegram to Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen, assuring him of his “spiritual closeness,” and his prayers for the suffering of the families, the parish community, and the diocese.

In the telegram, signed by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Pope prayed that God “welcomes Fr. Jacques Hamel in peace,” and brings comfort to the injured person.

Affected that the “act of violence” took place during Mass, the pontiff “implores God’s peace for the world,” the telegram read. He prayed that God might inspire “thoughts of reconciliation and fraternity.”

Archbishop Lebrun, who is currently in Krakow, Poland for World Youth Day, responded to the news of the killing, calling on believers and non-believers to “cry out to God with all men of good will.”

The archbishop said he had prayed in Warsaw with the youth attending WYD at the tomb of Fr. Popiulusko, a priest who was assassinated in 1984 during the communist regime.

“The Catholic Church cannot take weapons other than those of prayer and brotherhood among men,” the Rouen archbishop said, explaining that he would be returning to his diocese where the people are “very much in shock.”

“I leave here hundreds of young people who are the future of humanity, the true ones,” he said. “I ask them not to give in to the violence,” but instead “become apostles of the civilization of love.”

French prime minister Manuel Valls decried the ”horror” of the "barbaric attack,” writing on Twitter: "The whole of France and all Catholics are wounded. We will stand together."

Tuesday’s killing comes little over a week after a teenage Afghan Islamist went on an axe rampage in Würzburg, Germany, which left several passengers severely wounded. More recently, just last Saturday, around 80 people were killed and 230 people wounded after two explosions struck the Afghan city of Kabul.

The Vatican’s July 26 statement came in response to the “terrible new news” of the deadly hostage situation in a church in Rouen, the latest in “a series of violence which, in recent days has shocked us,” and caused “immense suffering and worry.”

In less than two years, France has witnessed several deadly attacks attributed to Islamic state militants, with the most recent -- and second deadliest -- taking place earlier this month. On July 14, 84 people were killed in Nice, France when a Tunisian man intentionally drove a large truck through a crowded beach street at high speed during a Bastille Day celebration.

On Nov. 13, 2015, nearly 130 people were killed in a series of attacks throughout Paris. In January of that same year, a total of 12 people were killed in the French capital after terrorists stormed the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine.

During an address at WYD for the launch of DoCat, a new Catholic social doctrine app for young people, the Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, responded to the attacks.

“We want to express also our unity, our communion of prayer, even of sorrow, with the people of France,” he said.

Although little is yet known about the incident, he said we are nonetheless “shocked, we are saddened, and we pray for the people of France.”

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Pascal Rossignol/Reuters

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The murder of a priest in northern France, taken hostage with a handful of other faithful during a weekday morning Mass July 26, is another act of "absurd violence" added to too many stories of senseless violence and death, said the Vatican spokesman.

Pope Francis was informed about the hostage situation at the church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray near Rouen and the murder of 84-year-old Father Jacques Hamel, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.

"With pain and horror" for the "absurd violence," Pope Francis expressed his condemnation of "every form of hatred" and offered his prayers for all those involved.

"We are particularly stricken because this horrible violence occurred in a church -- a sacred place in which the love of God is proclaimed -- with the barbaric killing of a priest," Father Lombardi said.

Police said two men, armed with knives, entered the church during Mass. They reportedly slit the throat of Father Hamel. Apparently alerted by a member of the congregation who escaped, police killed both hostage-takers. They said another person present at the Mass was in serious condition at the hospital.

Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen, who was in Krakow, Poland, with World Youth Day pilgrims when the attacked occurred, said he would return to his archdiocese.

"The Catholic Church can take up no weapons other than those of prayer and brotherhood among people of good will," the archbishop said in a statement from Krakow. He said that while he would leave Poland, hundreds of young people from his diocese would remain. "I ask them not to give in to violence," but instead "become apostles of the civilization of love."

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, sent a message of condolence to Archbishop Lebrun. The cardinal said Pope Francis was "particularly upset that this act of violence took place in a church during Mass, the liturgical act that implores God's peace for the world."

In the latest event of violence, the cardinal said, the pope prayed God would "inspire in all thoughts of reconciliation and brotherhood."

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