Catholic churches to hold Christmas Eve mass earlier

Catholic churches to hold Christmas Eve mass earlier

The Catholic church in Hong Kong has decided to hold Christmas Eve Mass at its most prominent church four hours earlier than usual, due to the "social conditions".



The Mass of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Central is to be held from 8pm on Tuesday, the church officials said.



A member of the council of priests, Reverend Dominic Chan, said while most other churches will also hold their Christmas Eve Mass early, a few of them will still be held at midnight.



He said the decision was made to ensure the safety of the faithful in view of the recent social movements.



Meanwhile, the archbishop of the Hong Kong Anglican Church, Paul Kwong, has called on all sectors of society to try and break the current political deadlock.



In delivering his Christmas message, he said both the government and protesters should take Christmas as an opportunity to sit down and start a dialogue with courage, sincerity and humility.



Kwong added that the government should not limit themselves to “rigid thinking” when responding to the society’s calls but should instead take practical measures or actions to address their demands.



He also called on the police force and the people to find ways to heal the widening rift.



“Only through love for Hong Kong, mutual understanding, rational dialogue, walking together, and resolving animosity and hatred through love, can people hope to lead the city out of this difficult situation, and rebuild stability and mutual trust in Hong Kong, so that everyone can live and work in an environment of freedom and stability”, he said.