Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan is a progressive-leaning Jesuit prelate known for his diplomacy and skills in education who in 2023 was the first Bishop of Hong Kong to visit Beijing since 1985.

Born on August 7, 1959 in Hong Kong, Chow joined the Society of Jesus in 1984 after completing his studies in psychology at the University of Minnesota in the US. He was ordained priest in 1994 and continued his education, earning a doctorate in human development and psychology from Harvard University in 2006.

Throughout his career, Chow has been deeply involved in education. He served as supervisor of two Jesuit colleges in Hong Kong and held teaching positions at various institutions, including the University of Hong Kong and the Holy Spirit Seminary. His expertise in psychology and education has informed his approach to leadership within the Church.

In May 2021, Pope Francis appointed Chow as the Bishop of Hong Kong, a position he initially declined but later accepted “out of obedience”. His appointment came at a sensitive time, as Hong Kong was experiencing political tensions and the Vatican was navigating its relationship with China following its controversial and secret provisional 2018 accord with Beijing.

Chow’s selection was seen as strategic, given his Jesuit background, his psychological expertise, his skills in diplomacy, and his perceived ability to potentially bridge divides between China and the Church.

A notable event in Chow’s tenure was his visit to Beijing in April 2023, marking the first visit by a Hong Kong bishop to the Chinese capital since 1985. This visit was seen as a significant step in fostering dialogue between the Catholic Church and Chinese authorities. He visited China again in 2024 with a 10-person delegation.

On September 30, 2023, Pope Francis elevated Chow to the rank of cardinal, making him the fourth cardinal in Hong Kong’s history. The appointment further emphasized the strategic importance of Hong Kong in the Church’s relationship with China.

Chow has been willing to raise some sensitive issues with the Communist authorities, and has advocated limits to the territory’s highly contentious Security Act. But his approach has been more characterized by a focus on dialogue, reconciliation, and bridge-building, and the cardinal has generally avoided direct confrontation with Beijing, preferring to take a more conciliatory, Ostpolitik stance.

Some critics have expressed concerns about this approach. They say that Chow has been too eager to give concessions to Beijing, and may be conflating the Chinese people with the Chinese Communist Party regime. He has been criticized, for example, for having what his critics believe is a naive approach to Sinicization¹Chow says it must be responded to through encounter and dialogue rather than outright opposition, “while being open to the truth.” and for not taking a strong stance in support of Jimmy Lai, a Catholic entrepreneur and pro-democracy activist jailed without trial for four years by the Communist authorities.²Bill McGurn, a godfather of Jimmy Lai, stated that as far as he knows, Cardinal Chow “has not visited Jimmy Lai’s family”

The Hong Kong cardinal has said that the leaders in Beijing “really appreciate” Pope Francis because “he doesn’t criticise,” suggesting that he, too, may be following a similar approach of not openly criticizing the Chinese government’s actions. Critics have said that a regime that is committing crimes against humanity will naturally like a global leader who doesn’t call them out for their atrocities.³Benedict Rogers, chief executive of Hong Kong Watch, wrote in 2023 that Chow “repeatedly expresses his desire to be a ‘bridge’ between the rest of the world and China. The problem is, any sustainable bridge needs firm pillars – and the pillars of religious freedom are being steadily eroded by a combination of the Chinese Communist Party regime in Hong Kong and the capitulation and kowtowing of the Church. Hong Kong’s people of faith now need people of conscience around the world to speak up for them. His supporters, meanwhile, believe he is being suitably diplomatic with China in a process of dialogue that will require patience to see fruits.

Cardinal Chow has many similar views to Pope Francis and sees synodality positively and important for the Church. Synodality, he has said, is “a dream that we want to come true” and “something we have to learn, with humility, with love.” He believes the discussion process can help make the Church more relevant to the world and to fellow Catholics. Synodality is “not a natural intuition for people,” he has said, but is “the way forward, beyond polarization, beyond being self-referential.”

The cardinal was a synod delegate at both Rome assemblies of the Synod on Synodality. At a side event of the 2024 meeting hosted by American Jesuit Father James Martin’s LGBT advocacy group Outreach, Cardinal Chow gave the following opening prayer:

“O, Holy Spirit send us your guiding light of truth, so that our ignorance and prejudices can melt away through this synodal encounter, and a new morn marked by mutual respect and empathic understanding can take shape in our church for our LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers, as well as for ourselves and our Church as a whole.”

The prayer was criticized for seeming to suggest that adhering to Church doctrine on homosexuality was synonymous with ignorance and prejudice.

Cardinal Chow is fluent in Cantonese, English and knows some Italian.