ASIA/HONG KONG - Cardinal Tagle's blessing: "May the face of Jesus always shine upon Hong Kong"

Hong Kong (Agenzia Fides) - "May the Holy Face of Jesus always shine upon Hong Kong." With these words, Cardinal Luis Antonio Gokim Tagle summarized the reflections and exhortations he addressed to the participants in the prayer, song, and music gathering that launched the 80th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of the Diocese of Hong Kong.

During the celebratory moment, held on Sunday, October 18, at Chater Garden in Hong Kong (see Fides, 21/1/2026), the Cardinal Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches) explained, based on the Sacred Scriptures, the origin and nature of the pious practice of Christian blessing, before imparting the blessing himself to the participants and the entire city, along with Jesuit Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, Bishop of Hong Kong.

Cardinal Tagle drew inspiration from the blessing to the people that God teaches the sons of Aaron in the Book of Numbers ("The Lord let his face shine upon you and give you peace"), proposing it as "the blessing that God desires to give us," making his face shine upon men and women of all times.
"The blessing that God gives us and to Hong Kong is His Holy Face in Jesus Christ," the visible and human Face of the invisible God, a face "fully divine and fully human."

Among the ways in which the Face of Jesus can be encountered as a blessing, Cardinal Tagle also mentioned the encounter with the face of a child, "which reminds us that children and young people are always a blessing for society; no child or young person is a 'problem'."

"The true blessing for Hong Kong," the Cardinal said, "is the face of God that shines upon it." "May the face of Jesus," the Pro-Prefect of the Missionary Dicastery continued, "always shine upon Hong Kong, and may Hong Kong rejoice in the face of Jesus."

Thus, he added, believers will be encouraged "to bring hope to society," becoming "courageous witnesses of the Lord."

The Cardinal also urged all of Hong Kong society to cultivate these "blessings," recognizing that everyone has the potential to become "a blessing to others."

During the gathering, individuals and groups of different ethnicities and nationalities prayed for Hong Kong in Cantonese, Filipino, French, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese.

On October 18, during his brief stay in Hong Kong, Cardinal Tagle also spoke with Sister Corazon Demetillo and Sister Victoria Victorino of the Diocesan Pastoral Center for Filipinos, according to the local diocesan weekly, the Sunday Examiner. The two nuns briefly described the initiatives promoted by local parishes to foster the integration of migrants and the support offered by the diocese to asylum seekers and refugees, in collaboration with the Philippine Consulate.

Many Filipino Catholics participated in the music and prayer gathering at Chater Garden. Parishioners at St. Joseph's Church on Garden Road displayed a welcome banner for Cardinal Tagle.

A large Filipino community has long resided in Hong Kong. According to data updated as of August 31, 2021, 177,000 Filipinos are among the non-permanent residents living in Hong Kong.

Among the more than 7.4 million permanent residents, over 400,000 are Catholic. (Agenzia Fides, 25/1/2026)

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