Saturday, May 21, the Hong Kong Community of Sant'Egidio organized the celebration of the Jubilee of Mercy with seventy poor, including many homeless, with whom the Community has become friend in recent years.
It is estimated that in the rich city of Hong Kong with its 7 million inhabitants, about 20% of the population lives below the poverty line according to Data Program for Development of the United Nations.
Property prices and rents are among the highest in the world, and this makes the life of the poor particularly hard. The number of homeless has tripled over the past decade.
For some years in the House of the Community we have organized dinners for the poor, which later on became an event to look forward to. After dinner we stay for a moment of sharing the Bible and the life of the communities around the world. In friendship with the Community many poor people have rediscovered the warmth of a family and some are coming to the faith.
This inspired the desire to make a pilgrimage, with the passage of the Holy Door in the Cathedral of Hong Kong. At the end of the celebration, a dinner in the neighboring parish of "Our Lady of the Rosary" was offered. At the end of the day, Ya Qiu - one of the friends who participated in the pilgrimage - expressed his gratitude and his joy with these words: "God showed his great generosity, today I felt the merciful embrace of the Father towards the my and our life.
It is estimated that in the rich city of Hong Kong with its 7 million inhabitants, about 20% of the population lives below the poverty line according to Data Program for Development of the United Nations.
Property prices and rents are among the highest in the world, and this makes the life of the poor particularly hard. The number of homeless has tripled over the past decade.
For some years in the House of the Community we have organized dinners for the poor, which later on became an event to look forward to. After dinner we stay for a moment of sharing the Bible and the life of the communities around the world. In friendship with the Community many poor people have rediscovered the warmth of a family and some are coming to the faith.
This inspired the desire to make a pilgrimage, with the passage of the Holy Door in the Cathedral of Hong Kong. At the end of the celebration, a dinner in the neighboring parish of "Our Lady of the Rosary" was offered. At the end of the day, Ya Qiu - one of the friends who participated in the pilgrimage - expressed his gratitude and his joy with these words: "God showed his great generosity, today I felt the merciful embrace of the Father towards the my and our life.