ICC Note:
UCA News reports that the number of Catholics in Hong Kong is growing, having increased by about 5,000 since 2015 to surpass 590,000 total. The growth in Catholicism is interesting, as Beijing exerts greater influence than ever before in Hong Kong. The Vatican has been in tension with China for years over the appointment of bishops within its borders. It will be interesting to see in the future if Beijing tries to maintain the same level of control over Catholic churches in Hong Kong as it does in China.
3/8/2017 China (UCA News) – The number of Catholics in Hong Kong has passed the 590,000 mark, an increase of some 5,000 over 2015, the latest statistics released by the Hong Kong Catholic Church Directory 2017 published in January this year indicate.
The latest calculation by the diocese shows that as of August 2016, there were around 591,000 Catholics in Hong Kong. Among them 389,000 local residents are listed, the Sunday Examiner website reports.
Among temporary Catholic residents, Filipinos form by far the majority. The diocese estimates there were 166,000 Filipino Catholics in Hong Kong in addition to 36,000 from other nationalities.
A total of 6,633 people were baptized in 2016. In each of the past six years, more than 6,000 people have been baptized.
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