Hong Kong’s Anglican cathedral will display the Chinese flag on National Day for first time but some aren’t happy
- St John’s Cathedral says the national flag will be placed near the pulpit during the 10.30am service conducted in Mandarin on October 1
- Lawmaker Canon Peter Koon, a serving cathedral chaplain, came up with the idea in May and says Hongkongers are ‘simply overreacting’
St John’s Cathedral, the oldest church building in Hong Kong, will display the Chinese flag during a service to mark National Day on Sunday for the first time, despite opposition from some Christians in the city.
The move was suggested in May by lawmaker the Reverend Canon Peter Koon Ho-ming, a serving cathedral chaplain and a former provincial secretary general of the Sheng Kung Hui, the city’s Anglican Church. He previously said displaying the national flag in church was to show basic respect to the country.
The cathedral, built in the heart of the city in 1849, said the national flag would be placed near the pulpit in the nave during the 10.30am service conducted in Mandarin. Bishop of Hong Kong Island Matthias Der Tze-wo will serve as the celebrant, the highest-ranking priest to officiate the six services at the church on Sunday.
Koon, who will preach at the service, told the Post on Friday that placing the flag in the cathedral on October 1 would serve as a test, and the practice could be implemented on all future National Days.
“Hongkongers are simply overreacting,” he said, referring to the voices objecting to his idea of displaying the flag during church services.
More than 140 people signed an online petition against Koon’s flag-raising idea and other remarks he made in recent months on local churches’ relationship with the country.
But Koon said: “It is a day of celebration for those who believe the country has been performing well. If there are areas that require improvement [in the country], as Christians, we should maintain a positive attitude as well.”
