主旨: A Letter to the Archbishop of Jerusalem Requesting to Revoke Peter Koon’s Honorary Canon
A Letter to the Archbishop of Jerusalem Requesting to Revoke Peter Koon’s Honorary Canon
Dear The Most Revd Suheil Salman Dawani, the Archbishop of Jerusalem,
May the peace of God be always with your excellency, and the people of Palestine and Israel. For it is written: ‘pray for the peace of Jerusalem.’ (Psalm 122:6) May God lead us to overcome the current pandemic and political chaos all over the world. In particular, we shall remember the churches in Jerusalem, for the church was firstly established by the Lord’s disciples in this holy city. Being the successors of Saint James the Just, the churches in Jerusalem are the spiritual leaders of the global church and should always stand for the justice and peace of God. For this reason, I sincerely ask your excellency to revoke the title of Honorary Canon from Peter Koon the Communist, who consistently disgrace the glory of God and endorse the Chinese Communist prosecutions of God’s people in both China and Hong Kong.
On 27 June 2017, Peter Koon from the diocese of Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui, was installed as Honorary Canon of the diocese of Jerusalem. The title of Honorary Canon is an appreciation of a senior priest’s life-long ministry in the church. Yet, if the church installed the title to a “priest” who has been serving the Communist regime and rationalizing its humanitarian crimes, the church is de facto endorsing sin and evil. I strongly believe that the installation of Peter Koon to be the Honorary Canon has already disgraced the diocese and revoking his title is the only way to atone the mistake.
Peter Koon is an active pro-China politician who openly endorses the Communist Chinese intervention of Hong Kong autonomy and even actively defames and insult Hong Kong protestors in front of the press. I call him a politician rather than a clergy because he is appointed as the member of the 13th Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and the founding member of a pro-China think tank called Our Hong Kong Foundation. Last year when the Hong Kong government proposed the controversial extradition bill and triggered massive violent clashes between the police and the protestors, Peter Koon supported the bill and argued that Hong Kongese should be obedient to the Beijing atheist regime in order to ask for more freedom. He abused his position as the provincial secretary-general of HKSKH and priesthood by endorsing Chinese Communist government on public occasions. He threatened to punish students studying at Anglican church schools who participated protests for 2014 umbrella revolution or strikes for 2019 anti-extradition bill movement and recklessly said that the idea of Hong Kong independence is against Christian faith.
Most importantly, Peter Koon strongly supported the recent Chinese legislation of national security law. Together with Paul Kwong, he openly asked Christian to obey the government’s will and denounce protestors of being “violent” but ignore the police’s violent crackdown and suspected rape or even murder of activists, not to mention the serious humanitarian crisis in the mainland China, where numerous churches are torn down, and Christian are arrested, tortured and imprisoned. In fact, as a member of CPPCC, together with Paul Kwong, he should be regarded as one of the politicians approving the bill and maybe sanctioned when Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 is implemented by the United States.
It is written, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.” (1 Timothy 4:14) However, based upon the facts stated above, I must conclude that the installation of Peter Koon to be the Honorary Canon of Jerusalem has already disgraced your excellency who have laid a hand upon him, and therefore disgracing the Holy See of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, as the world misunderstand that your excellency and the church endorse a Communist “priest’s” collaboration with Beijing humanitarian criminals. To maintain the traditional teaching on justice and peace of one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, I strongly suggest your excellency to undertake the actions as follow:
1. Revoke Peter Koon’s title of Honorary Canon immediately
2. Release an open statement clarifying the position of the diocese of Jerusalem on the humanitarian issues in Hong Kong and China, including:
- the Chinese legislation of national security law which has violated the Hong Kong autonomy under One Country Two System,
- the Hong Kong police brutal crackdown, torture and the government prosecutions of Hong Kong protestors who are fighting for autonomy and democracy promised by the Basic Law,
- the Chinese prosecution, torture and imprisonment of Christian, activists and ethnic minority, in particular Uyghurs and Tibetan, and
3. Suspend communion with HKSKH and request the Anglican Consultative Council to suspend the membership of HKSKH, until the latter removes all anti-humanitarian Communist minister, who are serving the Chinese Communist Party rather than God.
The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord, instead of the Communist Party. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer states, ‘Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.’ As one of the spiritual leaders of the universal church, the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem should speak out the truth. I am forwarding this open letter to mainline Christian media to call for global concern about the current humanitarian crisis in Hong Kong and the collaboration between HKSKH and the Chinese government. Please pray for the justice and peace in Hong Kong, particularly for Hong Kong Anglican Christian, who remains faithful to the Gospel and yet have difficulty in receiving pastoral care from a faithful jurisdiction. I am looking forward to hearing your reply, and I hope your excellency will undertake appropriate actions as early as possible.
Yours faithfully,
Dr Andrew Ka Pok Tam
戴雲理大主教閣下道鑒：
願上帝之平安常偕主教閣下、巴勒斯坦及以色列百姓。經云：「要為耶路撒冷求平安」（詩篇122:6）；祈求上帝早日引領我等脫離天下之瘟疫與政局動盪，更當記念耶路撒冷，因教會乃是由上主之門徒首先建立於聖城之上。作為公義者聖雅各的繼承者，耶路撒冷眾教會乃普世教會之屬靈領袖，並當時常持守上帝之正義與和平。鑒於共產主義者管浩鳴持續支持中共迫逼上帝在中國及香港之百姓、敗壞主名，予懇請主教閣下盡快褫奪其法政牧師頭銜。
2017年6月27日，香港聖公會教省香港島教區之管浩鳴獲封立為耶路撒冷教區法政牧師。蓋法政之銜，旨在表彰牧者於教會之聖工。然而，教會若封立事奉共產政權、美化其暴行之「牧師」為法政，教會實為稱許其罪惡。誠然，自 貴教區封立管氏為法政以降，恐怕以隳節敗名，為力挽狂瀾，為今之計，必為褫奪其法政頭銜。
管浩鳴者，共產主義政客也，屢次受訪時媚諛中共、甚至讒構義士。竊謂之政客而非牧師，因其為十三屆北京市政協及團結香港基金創始會員也。去年，港府一意孤行，強推逃犯條例，怨聲載道，故生警民衝突。然管氏力挺修例，更言港人當順服北京，以乞求自由。又瀆其教省秘書長及聖職，以其身份公言為中共歌功頌德；嘗於2014年雨傘革命及2019年反共革命期間，恐嚇處罰示威或罷課之聖公會堂校學生，更揚言港獨違背基督信仰。
更甚者，管浩鳴支持近日中國就國家安全法立法。彼偕鄺保羅每每要求信從順服掌權者、譴責示威「暴力」，無視警察鎮壓，甚至疑似強暴及謀殺示威者之惡行，以及中國大陸教堂被強拆、基督徒身陷囹圄而受虐之事實。再者，管氏及鄺氏 身為政協，理應被視作通過國安法之政客，故亦可能在美國落實《香港民主與人權法》時受到制裁。
經云：「你不要輕忽所得的恩賜，就是從前藉著預言、在眾長老按手的時候賜給你的。」（提摩太前書4:14）惟縱觀其人，竊以為主教閣下按手封立管浩鳴為法政，已令耶路撒冷及中東聖公會教省蒙上污名，使世人誤會閣下嘉許一共黨「牧師」與北京人道罪行者狼狽為奸。為保使徒所傳、惟一聖而公之教會之正義與和平之訓導，予祈請主教閣下：
1. 立即禠奪管浩鳴法政頭銜，
2. 公告澄請耶路撒冷教區就港中人道災難之立場，包括：
- 中國就國安法立法、損害一國兩制下之香港自治一事，
- 香港警察暴力鎮壓及虐待以及政府濫控義士一事，
- 中國政府迫害、虐待及囚禁基督徒、異見者及少數族裔，尤其維吾爾人及西藏人一事，並且
3. 暫緩與香港聖公會教省之共融關係，並要求聖公會諮議會擱置香港聖公會之成員資格，直至其罷免所有反人道主義、事奉中共而非上帝之共黨牧師牧職。
教會惟一的根基，是主耶穌基督，而非中國共產黨。如潘霍華所言：「見邪惡而緘默者，邪惡也，上帝不以之為無罪。無言即有言，無行即有行。」既為普世教會之屬靈領袖，聖公會耶路撒冷教區當仗義執言。予將轉發此信至教內媒體，以籲普世關注香港當前人道災難，及正視香港聖公會與中共之勾當。請為香港之正義與和平祈禱，尤其紀念堅守福音、然未得忠信教權牧養之聖公會人。敬希賜覆，並頌
平安！
Dr. Andrew Ka Pok Tam
PhD in Theology and Religious Studies
University of Glasgow
