Hong Kong police reportedly question two Catholic churches over Tai Po fire memorial masses

Two Catholic churches have reportedly been questioned by police over plans to hold a one-year anniversary memorial mass for victims of the Tai Po fire.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Tai Po was questioned by police twice after announcing a special service this Sunday to mourn the 168 people killed in the fatal blaze last November, former radio host and local parishioner Antony Yiu said.

The church has since replaced the anniversary mass with a general ceremony for “the brothers and sisters who died in the past year,” according to a Facebook post on Tuesday.

“As a churchgoer, I respect the church’s decision. But I’d like to ask: do police now have the power to dictate who believers pray for?” Yiu wrote.

In a screenshot of the since-deleted social media post, the church had written: “It is almost the one-year anniversary of the Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po. The sorrow still lingers.”

“With November being the month of remembrance in the Catholic Church, we pray for the eternal rest of the deceased… we ask God for mercy, compassion and blessing.”

‘In accordance with the law’

Separately, a church in Wan Chai – Our Lady of Mount Carmel – also planned a memorial mass marking one year since the deadly fire, local media reported citing churchgoers.

The church, however, did not publicise the mass.

On a Commercial Radio show on Tuesday, Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish priest Father Thomas Law said November was a month of remembrance for the Catholic community, and that the church held such a memorial every year.

Asked whether the mass would address victims of the Tai Po fire, Law said that anyone who wished to pray for them might do so, and that there was “no need to add or subtract.” He said he had not been contacted by police.

But hours after the radio segment aired, reporters learned from Law that he had since been questioned by three police officers asking about details of the mass and how many people would attend.

Law said that police did not threaten him, and that they were just concerned and “curious.”

Police said in response to HKFP that officers would “act in accordance with the law based on actual circumstances and maintain communication with organisers where necessary” when handling events.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang said on a television programme last week that he understood the desire of victims’ families to mark the anniversary. He said that as long as they abided by the law, authorities would “definitely assist.”

Asked if police had received applications for memorial events, Tang said only that police would consider factors including the safety of the venue and families’ wishes.

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Hillary Leung is a journalist at Hong Kong Free Press, where she reports on local politics and social issues, and assists with editing. Since joining in late 2021, she has covered the Covid-19 pandemic, political court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial, and challenges faced by minority communities.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Hillary completed her undergraduate degree in journalism and sociology at the University of Hong Kong. She worked at TIME Magazine in 2019, where she wrote about Asia and overnight US news before turning her focus to the protests that began that summer. At Coconuts Hong Kong, she covered general news and wrote features, including about a Black Lives Matter march that drew controversy amid the local pro-democracy movement and two sisters who were born to a domestic worker and lived undocumented for 30 years in Hong Kong.