Western Sydney had a unique opportunity to connect with the global Church when Cardinal Stephen Chow SJ, Bishop of Hong Kong, visited Parramatta for the Bishop Vincent Presents lecture series. The series brings international Catholic voices to Australia and sparks reflection on faith, culture, and challenges facing local communities.
Bishop Vincent Presents… A conversation with Cardinal Chow SJ. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
On Monday 15 September 2025, Cardinal Chow spoke to hundreds at St Patrick’s Cathedral Hall, with many more joining online, including large numbers from Chinese-Australian communities. His message was clear: dialogue, empathy, and bridge building are essential to both Church and society.
Laughter fills the room as the audience enjoys Cardinal Chow’s humour. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
Continuing his week in Australia, Cardinal Chow spoke at Newman College in Melbourne on 16 September for the 40th Helder Camara Lecture Series, coordinated by Br Mark O’Connor FMS, Vicar for Communications. Dr Julie Thorpe, author of Reasons of Hope, also attended the Bishop Vincent Presents evening.
About Cardinal Chow
Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
Born in 1959 in Hong Kong, Cardinal Chow SJ grew up amid the city’s vibrant mix of East and West. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1984, was ordained a priest in 1994, and earned a doctorate in education and human development from Harvard University. Over the years, he has shaped generations as a teacher, Jesuit college supervisor, and professor, and led the Chinese Jesuit province as provincial superior. Appointed Bishop of Hong Kong in 2021, he was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023.
Known for his emphasis on dialogue, empathy, and bridge building, Cardinal Chow brought a global perspective rooted in deep pastoral experience and Ignatian spirituality. While not his first visit to Australia, this lecture was particularly compelling as he was the first cardinal from Hong Kong to participate in a papal conclave earlier this year.
On 2 September 2025, Cardinal Chow met Pope Leo XIV and found him “very approachable.” He spoke of Pope Leo’s approach to listening and dialogue, and his commitment to continuing Pope Francis’ work in engaging communities, crediting his missionary work.
In conversation with fellow Jesuit, author, and academic Fr Richard Leonard SJ, Cardinal Chow drew on his Jesuit formation and experience at the heart of the Church to discuss bridge building. His reflections were deeply relevant to local parishes, agencies, ministries, and anyone navigating faith, culture, and youth engagement today.
Becoming a listening Church
A recurring theme of the evening was the importance of listening and dialogue. Cardinal Chow spoke about fostering relationships within the Church and across communities, as well as navigating complex cultural and political contexts.
While noting that the provisional agreement between the Vatican and China “is between the Secretary of State and the Chinese government,” Cardinal Chow said there is space for “areas that we can have more understanding of each other” and “different forms of dialogues.”
“This type of coming together is not just between governments… This is a pastoral thing…” he explained.
His Eminence highlighted empathy as a foundation for dialogue.
“If I come to understand… it helps them to also start to understand where I come from… Then we can meet in the dialogue and start with a common, shared humanity… And with empathy.”
Bishop Vincent Presents… A conversation with Cardinal Chow SJ. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
Synodality, leadership, and youth engagement
Cardinal Chow emphasised patience in walking together as one Church.
“I have to continue to discern with my peoples what synodality means for us in the Diocese of Hong Kong… I don’t think I can rush through it…” he said.
“If we need a little bit more time, we need a bit more time, but at least we’re moving forward…”
He encouraged young people’s engagement with the Church.
“We must have hope in our young people,” he said.
“In my experience working in high schools, if you are genuine and sincere with them, and share with them your difficulty, many of them would listen… I think we need to learn how to apologise, be willing to apologise, especially to young people…”
“It’s okay to be weak… It’s ok to make mistakes, and I’m not perfect – far from perfect – but can we walk together?”
Words from the Bishop of Parramatta
Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv thanked Cardinal Chow for his insights, saying he afforded a “unique role and status as a bridge builder.”
“We know that it’s like walking on a tightrope at times, but Stephen has proved himself, I think, a real force for dialogue, for positive engagement and for patient, but ultimately fruitful negotiation in a complex religious and social landscape,” Bishop Vincent said.
“He’s truly a bridge builder. He himself says that he wants to be a bridging church which promotes exchanges and interactions between Mainland China and the universal Church.”
“That strength… comes not from being a dominating power, a dominant role, as the Church in the West enjoys… but from a position of vulnerability, from the position of even powerlessness, you know, being a minority in society,” he said.
“So I think that that’s something for us to reflect upon going forward in a very increasingly secularised but also polarised society, as we have seen.”
Reflections from the audience
MC Qwayne Guevara invited attendees to share their impressions, highlighting the address’s local and global relevance.
Qwayne Guevara. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
“I found it very local as well as international… It was a bit of a surprise for me in a way, but I saw he engaged with all of us, and I felt very humbled by it and hopeful,” said Sr Helen Clarke RSC.
Another attendee noted, “He left us some very good messages about developing relationships.”
“He gave us a very good idea of what’s happening in Hong Kong… And the way forward, especially with the relationship with China…” said Dora, a parishioner from St Ives.
His Eminence posed for photos with attendees. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
Benjamin, a parishioner from Parramatta, observed, “It was very in tandem with what we do in the church of Western Sydney, isn’t it? And I suppose you know, he’s, he’s clearly in sync with the people of God, in this part of Australia anyway. It’s nice.”
Cronan, a seminarian from Sydney, said, “I’m a Chinese Catholic myself. I very much was looking forward to hearing the perspective of the Bishop of Hong Kong… I think it’s great to hear that there is a lot of engagement with Chinese Catholics. No doubt His Eminence is very keenly aware of the dynamics there. So I think it was good to hear a narrative, which is somewhat different to what you often get… Of course there are time constraints,” he added. “I wish there was more time to go into exploring topics in greater depths… like synodality.”
Cardinal Chow with Dr Hugh McDermott MP, NSW Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General, who attended the event. Image: Alphonsus Fok/Diocese of Parramatta.
Another attendee said, “He’s very approachable… and he relieves our worry about the political conflicts. And he is telling us that for everything, God will guide us to the way He wants.”
The Bishop Vincent Presents series aligns with the Diocesan Pastoral Plan objective to be a Church that walks together. Visit Synodality to learn more.
View the event photos on Flickr.
Watch the video recording of the event below.
