(ANS – Hong Kong) – In Hong Kong there are hot days during this month of June. Hot in more than one sense! Climatically hot, since this June 2014 is one of the hottest months of June recorded in Hong Kong. Socially hot, since this June 2014 has seen a revival of interest in social affairs on the part of young people.

22 June, in fact, was the day of the unofficial referendum on democracy reforms promoted by the Occupy Central movement. It began at noon last Friday. After a few hours, more than 200,000 had voted. For the organisers, 100,000 votes would have been a good result. On Wednesday, sources close to the organising committee said that almost a million people had voted.

The referendum asked people to choose the best way to elect the next chief executive in 2017: direct vote on the basis of universal suffrage as advocated by pro-democracy groups, or, as is the case today, by a committee of representatives some of whom are appointed by the government and China.

According to the organisers, the vote is just a survey to see what people think. It was supposed to take place over two days (20-22 June), but a hacker attack against Occupy Central's server, deemed the most sophisticated and powerful ever to occur in Hong Kong, made it necessary to extend voting until 29 June.

To further promote participation in the Democracy Referendum, Card. Joseph Zen and others (among them, the “father” of Hong Kong’s democratic movement Mr. Martin Lee, a Catholic) organized a 7-day, 84-hour “Exodus for Democracy”. “Exodus” is meant here in the sense intended by Pope Francis, that is, “getting out into the streets”.

From 14 to 20 June, for 7 days, for 12 hours a day, Cardinal Joseph Zen and his fellow walkers covered some 20 kilometres a day along the streets of the city, calling on people to support the People’s Referendum. At times the walking party grew to 800-strong. The promotion appears to have been effective, given the growth in the estimated number of voters.

22 June was not only Referendum Day. It is was also the Feast of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Cardinal Joseph Zen presided over the Solemn Mass and Eucharistic Procession in the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Park on the Northern shore of Hong Kong Island. The procession stopped several times on the shore-line to allow the Cardinal to bless this great city.

Published 26/06/2014