Hong Kong

No handshakes: Viral outbreak spooks Asian places of worship
- Feb 17, 2020
In a popular Catholic church in the Philippines, nearly half of the pews were empty for Sunday Mass. The few hundred worshippers who showed up were asked to refrain from shaking others’ hands or holding them during prayers to prevent the spread of the virus that started in China.

By Jim Gomez
No handshakes: Viral outbreak spooks Asian places of worship
- Feb 16, 2020
In a popular Catholic church in the Philippines, nearly half of the pews were empty for Sunday Mass. The few hundred worshippers who showed up were asked to refrain from shaking others’ hands or holding them during prayers to prevent the spread of the virus that started in China.

By Jim Gomez
Zen awarded US pro-democracy prize as Vatican steps closer to China
- Feb 15, 2020
Several days after Chinese Cardinal Joseph Zen, an outspoken critic of the Vatican’s approach to China, received a prize from the U.S. government for defending democracy in communist China, the Vatican’s foreign minister had an historic meeting with his Chinese counterpart.

By Elise Ann Allen

Architect of China’s cross removal to oversee Hong Kong, Macau affairs
- Feb 14, 2020
The architect of the three-year cross removal and church destruction campaign in the Chinese province of Zhejiang has been appointed to head the Office of Hong Kong and Macau Affairs.

By Catholic News Service
Public Masses canceled in Hong Kong as fears over coronavirus swell
- Feb 14, 2020
Responding to a government appeal for citizens to stay home in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the administrator of the Hong Kong diocese has suspended public Masses until the end of the month, including the Ash Wednesday service marking the beginning of the Lenten season.

By Elise Ann Allen
As coronavirus spreads, churches outside China take preventive measures
- Jan 28, 2020
The Chinese respiratory coronavirus has spread to almost every province in mainland China, which extended its Spring Festival holiday by three days to delay travel by up to 500 million people.

By Catholic News Service