RELIGION AND CUSTOM
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to assist in this area. The medical and social services include six hospitals, 10 clinics, 16 social centres, 13 hostels, 13 homes for the aged, two homes for the handicapped and many self-help clubs and associations. Caritas is the official social welfare arm of the church in Hong Kong.
These services are open to all people – indeed, 95 per cent of those who have bene- fitted from the wide range of services provided by the diocese are not Catholics.
To reach people through the media, the diocese publishes two weekly newspapers, Kung Kao Po and The Sunday Examiner. In addition, the Diocesan Audio-Visual Centre produces tapes and films for use in schools and parishes and, overall, the Hong Kong Catholic Social Communications Office acts as an information and public relations channel for the diocese.
During the year, Bishop Wu made an official visit to China, at the invitation of the Religious Affairs Bureau of the State Council. Later, a delegation from the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Church of Shanghai, led by Auxiliary Bishop Jin Lusian, visited Hong Kong, at the invitation of the Holy Spirit Study Centre in the territory.
Protestant Community
The Protestant community in Hong Kong numbers over 200 000 people. Major traditions represented are Adventist, Alliance, Anglican, Baptist, Church of Christ in China, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal and the Salvation Army as well as many independent and indigenous congregations.
Protestant churches operate 200 kindergartens, 175 primary schools, 120 secondary schools, three post-secondary colleges, three schools for the deaf, several training centres for the mentally handicapped, and 15 theological schools and Bible institutes. Health care is also an important field. There are five major hospitals operated by the Protestant churches. These are augmented by many clinics, community health programmes and other health services including home visits by nurses.
There are two ecumenical bodies which facilitate the co-operative work among the Protestant churches. The oldest of these is the Chinese Christian Churches Union. During the
year, it celebrated its 70th anniversary. This was marked by a service of thanksgiving in April at the Methodist Church in Wan Chai. About 200 congregations make up the membership of the Churches Union. The union's work is carried out through de- partments of evangelism, Christian education, charities, information and cemeteries. The Churches Union publishes the newspaper Christian Weekly, which serves all the Protestant congregations.
The second co-operative body is the Hong Kong Christian Council, formed in 1954. The council bases its membership on the major denominations and the ecumenical services bodies. The Christian Council is committed to building closer relationships among all churches in Hong Kong as well as with churches overseas. Its programme is carried out through the Division of Mission and the Division of Service, which operates as Hong Kong Christian Service. Related service agencies include the United Christian Medical Service, the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital, the Christian Industrial Committee, Christian Family Service Centre and the Tao Fung Shan Ecumenical Centre. The council sponsors the Alternative Tours which are designed to give visitors to Hong Kong an opportunity to see specific ways in which Christians serve the people. In 1985, the council's annual campaign, ‘Five Loaves and Two Fishes', raised nearly $1.5 million for the needy in Africa and Asia. The campaign, held for the 11th year, included among its concerns victims of the famine in Ethiopia.
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