HONG KONG (UCAN) -- Newly installed Coadjutor Bishop John Tong Hon of Hong Kong has emphasized that he would not sacrifice Church principles in exchange for improved relations with mainland China.

"We have to make a greater effort" to implement what Pope Benedict XVI wrote in his pastoral letter to mainland Chinese Catholics, Bishop Tong told UCA News and other media after his installation Mass on Feb. 10.

The letter, published on June 30, 2007, presents a theological framework within which current difficulties in the China Church are to be viewed and resolved.

Bishop Tong said the letter conveyed "clear and positive messages" and that "now the ball is in the hands of the Chinese government."

Bishop Tong said that he and Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong would continue to focus on different aspects of the Church, a matter both had agreed upon when they were ordained bishops together in 1996. Cardinal Zen would continue his "prophetic role" of commenting on social affairs in Hong Kong, while Bishop Tong would focus more on the "bridging role" of building relations with the mainland Church, the new coadjutor said.

Since 1980, Bishop Tong has headed Hong Kong diocese's Holy Spirit Study Centre, which researches and documents Church life in mainland China.

On Jan. 30, the pope appointed 68-year-old Bishop Tong, until then auxiliary bishop of Hong Kong, as coadjutor bishop, placing him in line to succeed Cardinal Zen once the 76-year-old prelate retires.

Bishop Tong said he believed the appointment shows the Holy See's respect for Cardinal Zen's request for a successor. However, Bishop Tong said he thinks the Holy See would not approve the cardinal's retirement in a hurry since he is still "healthy and capable."

Cardinal Zen told UCA News after the installation Mass that he had written again to the pope in December requesting retirement. This was a month before he turned 76 on Jan. 13. He is "very happy" to have a coadjutor, he said, thus paving the way for his retirement. The cardinal added that the next step would be to request an auxiliary bishop to assist the diocese's next leader.

More than 1,000 people attended the installation Mass at Immaculate Conception Cathedral. When the liturgy began, Cardinal Zen, the main celebrant, presented his new coadjutor with the apostolic bull, or formal papal decree, conveying the appointment. They then embraced and exchanged a sign of peace. Bishop Tong also exchanged a sign of peace with members of the Board of Diocesan Consultors, who represented the entire diocese.

Other Mass concelebrants included Dom Anastasius Li, abbot of the Trappist Our Lady of Joy Abbey, and about 110 local and foreign priests serving in the diocese.

Cardinal Zen, in the homily, said he hoped Bishop Tong could "lead the diocese" to help people reject materialism and not side with the rich and powerful. The local Church should spread the Good News to foster a more caring society, he added.

Toward the end of the Mass, Bishop Tong asked the congregation to pray for the Church to be "a greater witness of the love of God through its service to the poor and weak."

Alluding to the pope's letter to Chinese Catholics, he said he hoped all mainland Catholics could be "free and united" in the near future.

After the Mass, Father Placid Wong Kwok-wah, president of the Order of Friars Minor in Hong Kong, told UCA News, "We will keep on working with the bishops to strengthen spiritual formation of laity."

He described Bishop Tong as a pleasant and caring person willing to cooperate with others. He said he hopes Bishop Tong, a Church-in-China expert, could promote mutual understanding and cooperation with the mainland Church.

Teresa Yiu Sau-hing, president of the Hong Kong Central Council of Catholic Laity, also considers Bishop Tong an easy person to work with. The laywoman told UCA News she hopes the prelate will continue to support the council's work.

A nun who requested anonymity told UCA News that the quieter Bishop Tong has a different working style from that of the more outspoken Cardinal Zen. It would be ideal if they could use their varied charisms in serving the diocese, she said.

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(Accompanying photos available at here)