HONG KONG, JAN. 15, 2008 (Zenit.org).- As the universal Church continues to defend marriage and the family, priests in Hong Kong dedicated their annual study retreat to consideration of the issue.
After the Jan. 2-4 study session, the priests reaffirmed their pastoral commitment to family ministry.
At the study session, Father Francis Tse, vice chancellor of the diocese, discussed the latest Church statistics. He said there were 1,174 marriages held in local churches from September 2006 to August 2007, in which 80% were mixed marriage with only one party being Catholic. Some 10% involved a major obstacle to marriage that required the diocesan tribunal to consider.
He also mentioned the heavy work of the tribunal dealing with annulments, noting that the diocese dealt with some 129 cases in 2006, and more than 100 cases in 2007. This meant that the small team needed to aim to resolve a case every three days.
Father Lawerence Lee, the diocesan chancellor, noted another range of problems. He said more Catholics sought marriage because of premarital pregnancy. He also noted growth in the trend of cohabitation.
Participants at the study session reaffirmed the need for solid formation programs, helping couples to learn and embrace Catholic values in marriage and family.
