Anglican Church in Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, Faces Questions After Two Men Accuse Pastor of Touching Them in 2004 and 2007

Hong Kong 01 reported that the Anglican Church, the largest Christian church in Hong Kong, is facing questions over how it handled allegations of sexual misconduct by a male pastor of the Anglican Hong Kong Island district. Reporters spoke with two male church members who said that in 2004 and 2007, respectively, they were targeted by the same pastor. The pastor has denied engaging in any misconduct. One of the men was still a minor at the time of the first incident. According to the report, both men did not go to the police at the time, out of fear, and mentioned the incidents only to fellow church members and to their mentor.

The first man, who is 31 years old and referred to in the report by a pseudonym, said that in 2004 he was hugged from behind, had his chest stroked, and had someone try to reach inside his trousers. He said he resisted, after which the pastor took no further action. Two weeks later, the pastor allegedly gave him foreign currency worth about HK$2,000 under the pretext of helping with school fees. The man said he believed it was hush money. He later told his mentor the full account, but he said no one afterward informed him whether the church had followed up. Protecting young people who cannot easily defend themselves is the heart of the matter here (Proverbs 31:8-9).

The second man, also referred to by a pseudonym, told the reporter that in 2007, as an adult, he was touched on the genitals by the same pastor. He likewise did not report it to police, and he declined to be interviewed on camera. He said he had mentioned the incident to fellow church members at the time.

The reporter obtained an internal Anglican email exchange from November 2007, which referred to the two men as “two victims” and stated that the incidents had been reported to the fellowship mentor. According to the emails, nine people took part in the discussion, including Pastor Ho Kam-tim and several senior church members. Some proposed asking Archbishop Paul Kwong to decide whether to convene a disciplinary committee, and others said the victims’ identities should be protected and that such incidents should be prevented. A reply sent three days after the first email said that a church member had met with Leung Sau-shan, then General Secretary of the Anglican Hong Kong Island district, who reportedly said Kwong was reviewing the matter with legal advisers. The reporter confirmed with the parties involved that the matter ultimately did not proceed.

Archbishop Kwong and the two other pastors did not directly answer the reporter’s questions. Koon Ho-ming, Secretary General of the Anglican Province, responded on their behalf. He acknowledged that the matter had been discussed, but said the church could not contact the parties directly and learned through an intermediary that they did not wish to pursue it. After seeking legal advice, the church concluded that it could not follow up, and it did not question or investigate the pastor. Koon said the church does not keep statistics on cases of sexual misconduct, and he stressed that it does not shield anyone. He also said Kwong and Leung had met about the matter at the time but that no meeting minutes exist. He said the church lacked sufficient evidence to act.

Reporters faced resistance when seeking comment. Several Anglican staff members prevented filming and interviews, blocked the camera lens with briefcases, and one staff member struck the reporter’s camera lens on a public pedestrian path. Leung Sau-shan said she “did not know,” declined to answer other questions, and signaled security guards to drive the reporter away. Ho Kam-tim declined to answer questions about the incidents and referred the reporter to Koon Ho-ming. Of two other church members named in the emails, one confirmed the emails were authentic, and the other said it had been decided at the time not to make the matter public and declined to comment.

In a telephone interview, Koon said the Anglican Church does not tolerate sexually related misconduct and would report to police if boundaries were crossed. He acknowledged that the church had not questioned the pastor, saying, “We would have to ask, and basically we need a certain amount of information before we can do so.” He also said that the matter occurred more than a decade ago and that social circumstances today are different. He noted that the Hong Kong Christian Council had launched a campaign last August, titled “No Longer Silent: Collecting Experiences of Sexual Harassment Within the Church,” which collected more than 50 cases of abuse and harassment within churches. Koon said the church is discussing with its legal advisers whether to improve its procedures for handling complaints.

Koon said that if the earlier complainants had felt, or if there had been a misunderstanding, the church would accept any request. He added that for matters beyond the church’s internal capacity, the church would refer them to police with the complainant’s consent.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Mandarin Chinese)