The remarks came as the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong set up a condolence book at The Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral of The Immaculate Conception in the Mid-Levels, where many locals, including Bishop Stephen Chow and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha, went to mourn his passing.
“It was just shocking to learn about the news on Easter Monday,” a local resident, Natasha, told RTHK at the cathedral.
“I think he tried his best, but he faced a lot of struggles,” her friend, Peter, said.
Another resident, Tam, said she believes the pope will continue to bless the world “from heaven”, noting that the community believes that “when a person dies, it marks only the death of a physical body but not the soul.
“So actually he will continue to bless the church and the world.
“Yesterday I felt a little unhappy but today I think he will surely go to heaven so he will surely bless the world even more.
“Actually he was ill for a long time. He was seriously ill. I often prayed for him because he was very ill. But he still managed to shoulder such a heavy responsibility,” she added.
A Catholic, Ko, said the pope was concerned about socially disadvantaged communities and had led the global Catholic community through very turbulent times.
Earlier, former SAR chief executive Donald Tsang expressed grief, noting the important role the pope played in improving relations between China and the Vatican.
“I’m heartbroken,” he told RTHK in a group interview.
“The man was full of kindness and benevolence, besides also being very humble and courageous.
“He made full reforms for the progress of modern society and forged ahead bravely in the face of difficulties.
“He was [also] particularly full of love for China and hoped to improve China-Vatican relations… So with his passing, we need to try our best to remember and respect him,” Tsang said.
The city’s top Catholic Stephen Chow on Monday expressed his deepest condolences on behalf of the diocese.
In a statement, the diocese said the pontiff had peacefully returned to the Lord – noting that he was the first Jesuit pope and the first pope from Latin America.
During his time as head of the church, Pope Francis was committed to inter-religious dialogue and world peace and had brought attention to relations between the Vatican and China, it said, noting that the pope was also determined to reform the Holy See and increase the participation of women at decision-making levels.
It added that it would arrange a service and a liturgy so that worshippers could bid farewell to Francis, with the details to be announced later.
