Kwong was born to a local Christian family in 1950.[4] His father was a teacher and his great-grandfather, Kwong Yat-sau, was the first Chinese priest in the Diocese of Victoria.[4] Kwong is a fourth-generation Anglican.[4]
Kwong was ordained deacon in 1982[6] and priest in 1983.[5] Upon the ordination, he was appointed curate of Holy Trinity Church in 1983.[4] Three years later, Kwong was appointed vicar of St. Matthias' Church, leading the parish until 1996.[4] He was chaplain to St. John's Cathedral with responsibility for the Mandarin speaking congregation, and also served as assistant to the Archbishop, and Provincial General Secretary.[7]
Kwong was first elected Bishop on 30 December 2005[8] and consecrated on 25 March 2006[9] at St John's Cathedral.[10] Following his consecration, Kwong became Coadjutor Bishop until his predecessor, Peter Kwong, left office on 31 December 2006.[9] He was later enthroned diocesan bishop on 15 January 2007.[11] After being elected by the General Synod on 3 February 2007,[6] Kwong was installed Archbishop on 26 September 2007[12] at St John's Cathedral (Hong Kong).[1] He was reelected Archbishop by the General Synod on 1 June 2013.[13] His advisor for theological and historical studies is Rev Dr Philip L. Wickeri, Professor of Church History at HKSKH Ming Hua Theological College.[14]
Kwong retired in January 2021, succeeded by Matthias Der, Dean of St John's Cathedral, as the bishop of Hong Kong Island[20] and by Andrew Chan, Bishop of Western Kowloon, as Archbishop of Hong Kong.[21] He was invited by Archbishop Chan to be Archbishop Emeritus of Hong Kong.[22]
Political views
Paul Kwong has been known for his staunch pro-Beijing stance in Hong Kong.[23] During an interview with the reporters of Echo, official newspaper published by the Province, Kwong stated that a universal suffrage would not be "panacea",[24] numerous social issues in Hong Kong would still exist even after its implementation.[24] He also voiced objection to civil disobedience as a means to strive for democracy in Hong Kong[24] and expressed his reservations about the Occupy Central movement in the same interview.[24]
Controversy
Pro-Beijing homily
In a homily he gave to the faithful in St. Paul's Church on 6 July 2014,[25] Paul Kwong ridiculed the 511 protesters who were arrested during a sit-in protest following the annual 1 July rally,[26] suggesting they should "bring along their Filipino maids to the march".[26] He also criticized their lack of critical thinking ability[27] and expressed his perplexity over why some Hong Kong people "have to speak up so much" in that homily.[26]
Kwong then quoted several verses in Book of Isaiah to support his claim[27] that Jesus remained silent in the face of crucifixion, saying, "Jesus remained silent in the face of Pilate. He was like a lamb awaiting slaughter."[26] He further added, "[s]ometimes we don't have to say anything. Silence is better than saying anything."[26]
Kwong also condemned some lawmakers for being "irrational and violent" when expressing opinion in meetings of the Legislative Council,[27] saying, "I don't think he would act like a few councilors we have now, throwing everything around. I don't think that if Jesus was in the streets today, he would use such humiliating words to scold government officials and other people. I don't think that Jesus would express himself with such irrational violence."[26]
Kwong's comments soon sparked controversy among pan-democrats[26] as well as church members.[28] Wu Chi-wai, pastor from Christian and Missionary Alliance, responded that it would be "unfair to use Jesus to fit some personal values and orientation".[26] He also challenged Kwong's claim[26] that Jesus remained silent in contempt of crucifixion.[26]Emily Lau, then-chairwoman of the Democratic Party, criticized him for being too cynical,[29] expressing her disappointment that Kwong "had lashed out at the students".[26]Chan Kin-man, co-organizer of Occupy Central movement, queried Kwong's attitude, saying, "[b]elievers and society expected religious leaders to speak up to manifest the value of their belief."[26]
Kwong, Paul and Philip Wickeri (2015). "Sheng Kung Hui: The Contextualization of Anglicanism in Hong Kong." In The Oxford Handbook of Anglican Studies, edited by Sathianathan Clarke Mark Chapman and Martyn Percy, 256–70. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
