The Diocese of Hong Kong has
told Catholics to make use of
online resources following the
cancellation of Masses in response
to the coronavirus. Catholics in
mainland China, where all places of
worship have been closed, are blocked
from accessing these resources by
the “Great Firewall,” which prevents
access to many parts of the internet.
The Hong Kong diocese indefinitely
cancelled all public Masses and group
religious activities, with the exception
of weddings and funerals, in a deci-
sion announced Feb. 25. The move
follows a prior temporary suspension.
“Believers can make good use of on-
line resources, such as online weekday
Masses, faith cultivating information,
and other good works of Lent, such
as morning prayers, the rosary, the
Angelus,” a diocesan statement said.
The Archbishop of Singapore Wil-
liam Goh Seng Chye made a similar
recommendation in a Feb. 14 pastoral
letter announcing an indefinite
suspension of all public Masses. He
advised Catholics to “try to follow the
broadcast of the Mass on YouTube or
CatholicSG Radio.”
In mainland China, where the Com-
munist government has cancelled all
religious gatherings and closed all
places of worship, Catholics do not
have access to similar online resourc-
es. In September 2018, the Chinese
government instituted regulations
making it illegal for religious services,
prayer, or preaching to be broadcast
online.
Online evangelization is strictly
prohibited, as are materials aimed
at converting readers. Catechetical
or instructive resources cannot be
openly published online and must
be restricted to internal networks
accessed with registered user names
and passwords.
A 2012 analysis published by a
Chinese Communist Party think tank
scholar identified both religion and
“internet freedom” as future threats
to China’s rise. Subsequent years have
seen crackdowns on both freedom of
the internet and religious freedom.
China has long been known for
its strict control of information,
including restricting internet access
and creating alternative social media
platforms that are completely con-
trolled by government surveillance
and censorship. Twitter, Google,
Facebook, and YouTube are blocked
by China’s “Great Firewall.”
Hong Kong is home to around
500,000 Catholics out of a total popu-
lation of over 7 million. As of Feb. 26,
2 people have died and 81 have been
infected in Hong Kong.
