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RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHHK #0841/01 1270804
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 070804Z MAY 09
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7562
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 HONG KONG 000841 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/CM; ALSO FOR DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2019 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF CH MC
SUBJECT: MACAU RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: REVERSION WAS ONLY THE 
BEGINNING 
 
Classified By: Consul General Joe Donovan for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary and comment: According to representatives of 
several of Macau's major religious communities, Macau's 1999 
reversion to PRC rule allowed other faiths to gain equal 
status with the formerly state-supported Catholic Church. 
The Buddhist and Protestant communities now receive 
government grants to provide social services like the Macau 
Catholic Diocese does.  Buddhists and Daoists have also been 
granted land for religious purposes.  Relations among the 
faiths were uniformly described as cordial.  Politically, the 
Catholics remain the most influential, although the Buddhists 
and Daoists report Chief Executive Edmund Ho makes a point of 
attending their events, as does the Central Government 
Liaison Office (CGLO).  CGLO supports Macau's religious 
communities' contacts with co-religionists on the Mainland 
and the annual Baha'i dialogue with the PRC State 
Administration for Religious Affairs.  CGLO's engagement with 
Macau religious communities may represent an interest in the 
role of independent religions in a more open society and/or 
"united front" work meant to forestall the rise of 
"anti-China" critics among religious communities.  End 
summary and comment. 
 
¶2. (SBU) We spoke with representatives of Macau's major 
religious faiths April 29, to hear their perspectives both on 
community development and their relationship with the Macau 
Special Administrative Region Government (MSARG).  Leaders we 
met include: 
 
--  The Reverend Lam Yam-man, Chairman of the Evangelical 
Church Hong Kong and Macau District, and Pastor-in-Charge of 
the Macau Evangelical Church's Main Church; 
--  The Venerable Sik Kin-chin, Chairman, the Macau Buddhist 
Association, and Master of the Pou Tai Monastery; 
--  Bishop Jose Lai, the Macau Catholic Diocese; 
--  Dr. Kong Siew-huat, Chairman; and Ms. Tsui Siu-hing, 
Community Relations director; the Macau Baha'i Community; and 
--  Master Ng Pei-Chun, Chairman, Macau Daoist Association; 
and Mr. David Cheung Kin, Daoist community member. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Protestants: Several Denominations Active 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Protestant Community Leader Rev. Lam Yam-man assured 
us that, since the 1999 reversion, Macau is the "freest place 
in the world" in terms of religion.  Religious communities 
are not even required to register to begin operations. 
(Note:  Macau's pre-reversion 1998 "Law on Religion and 
Religious Service," which remains in force, allows religions 
to register as social organizations but does not appear to 
explicitly require them to do so.  End note.)  While not 
banned, Rev. Lam reports Protestants as marginalized prior to 
Macau's reversion, since only the Catholic church enjoyed 
formal status.  Primary education was dominated either by 
Catholic schools or "patriotic" (i.e. pro-communist) schools, 
at neither of which were Protestants particularly welcome. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Rev. Lam reports a Protestant population of about 
10,000, of whom 5,000 are active in Anglican, Evangelical and 
Pentecostal communities.  His own Evangelical community is an 
indigenous tradition begun by a former Anglican minister in 
¶1950.  While the community's Bible academy does not confer 
ordination, Lam told us Macau Evangelical authorities are 
able to certify their own clergy.  Since 1999, Protestant 
communities have been able to register to provide social 
services (like Hong Kong, the MSARG subsidizes a range of 
organizations to provide social services under government 
guidelines).  His own church is active mainly in youth 
tutoring, and also provides some care to seniors.  Other than 
subsidies for these activities, however, Rev. Lam receives no 
support from the government, and acquires property for the 
community at commercial rates.  There are no restrictions on 
proselytizing, and Rev. Lam reports his community passes out 
pamphlets in the streets without hindrance.  Rev. Lam reports 
inter-faith relations are good, although his community does 
not participate in many joint activities. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Rev. Lam reports his church has been in active 
contact with Mainland communities through the official China 
Christian Council, sponsoring community development in Yunnan 
province.  The church has also provided secular aid in 
Sichuan, mainly medical and senior care.  Rev. Lam also told 
us many Macau Protestant communities have links with foreign 
co-religionists. 
 
-------------------------- 
Buddhists: Short on Clergy 
-------------------------- 
 
HONG KONG 00000841  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶6. (C) Master Sik echoed Rev. Lam in reporting a better 
environment for religious communities since the handover. 
Chief Executive (CE) Edmund Ho has been a visible supporter 
of the community, which Master Sik believes represents a 
commitment to traditional Chinese culture following 
reversion.  The Central Government Liaison Office (CGLO) also 
attends their larger public functions.  Unlike the 
Protestants, the Buddhists have received a grant of land from 
the government for community purposes, although they are 
still negotiating the actual size of the parcel (Master Sik 
reports CE Ho himself committed to looking into the matter on 
behalf of the community.)  Since 1997 (i.e before reversion), 
the Buddhists have been active in providing social services, 
but Master Sik told us the real growth has been over the last 
three years.  The community has one primary school serving 
500 students, and Master Sik's monastery provides meals and 
care to seniors.  Buddhist communities have a framework 
organization, but Master Sik reports their resources rest 
with the individual temples.  Numbers of Buddhists are 
difficult to estimate, since while there are few truly active 
and devout Buddhists, many who occasionally pray in temples 
or attend rituals might identify themselves as Buddhists. 
 
¶7. (C) The Buddhist community has had difficulties in 
training new clergy.  While the community will usually 
produce one candidate a year, Master Sik reports, if they 
send the individual abroad to Taiwan or elsewhere for 
training, the candidates usually do not return.  As a result, 
while some training occurs in Macau, the community often asks 
larger communities on the Mainland (he specifically mentioned 
Shanghai) to provide clergy and lay workers on a temporary 
basis.  Master Sik told us the CGLO complains if they are not 
informed of requests to Mainland communities, but does not 
otherwise interfere in the exchanges. 
 
¶8. (C) The Po Tai monastery established a branch in Hawaii 
prior to 1999, which Master Sik confided to us represented a 
hedge against a possible change in Macau following its return 
to Chinese rule.  At this point, however, the community has 
no concerns.  Clergy still enjoy the opportunity to visit the 
facility in Hawaii, which Master Sik implied offered monks a 
kind of working vacation. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
Catholics: Now Equals, but Still First 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (C) As the largest provider of education and, through 
Macau Caritas, social services, the Catholic Church remains 
the most influential religious community in Macau.  The Macau 
Diocese claims 30,000 practitioners, although Bishop Lai 
estimates a third of his flock are Filipino domestic helpers. 
 While the Bishop told us the community produces candidates 
for the priesthood (which are trained locally or at Hong 
Kong's Holy Spirit Seminary), he has also brought in some 
parish priests from overseas.  The Diocese is now actively 
recruiting for both clerical and lay "vocations."  In 
addition to his links to the Vatican and the larger world 
Catholic community, Bishop Lai reports he is able to maintain 
links with Mainland Catholics through the CGLO without 
problems.  The Diocese has worked to establish a program of 
religious studies at Macau's Inter-University Institute (IIUM 
in Portuguese), which it is working with Mainland authorities 
to make available to Mainland clergy for training. 
 
¶10. (C) While not taking the same public profile of his 
former Hong Kong counterpart Cardinal Joseph Zen, Bishop Lai 
reports the Diocese does take public positions on some 
issues.  The Diocese has two regular publications, one of 
which represents the Bishop and another open to wider 
discussion among members of the community.  On issues such as 
Macau's recently-passed Article 23, the government itself 
reached out to the Diocese for its views. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Baha'i: Annual Dialogue with China's SARA 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU) Macau's Baha'i community Chairman Kong told us the 
community has 2,500 practitioners, served by four official 
centers and about fifty home worship sites.  The community 
has also received government support for its "School of the 
Nations", which they claim represents Macau's first 
international school and which has a 2/3 English, 1/3 
Mandarin curriculum.  In keeping with Baha'i traditions, the 
community places particular emphasis on participation in 
interfaith activities, which Chairman Kong told us are often 
organized by CGLO. 
 
 
HONG KONG 00000841  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶12. (C) Much to our surprise, Chairman Kong told us the 
community has a dialogue with China's State Administration 
for Religious Affairs (SARA), with annual meetings in Macau 
and Beijing on a rotating basis.  SARA, Kong said, has been 
represented on some occasions by Director Ye Xiaowen.  Kong 
attributes this interest to the Baha'i message of harmonious 
existence among all people as well as their core doctrine of 
obedience to secular law.  On the Mainland, Kong reports 
that, while Baha'i centers serving foreigners are required to 
check passports of those attending events, there are also 
indigenous communities operating. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Daoists: Strong Government Support 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶12. (C) Like the Buddhists, Master Ng told us the numbers of 
Daoist practitioners are extremely hard to estimate.  The 
community acknowledges 40 temples of all types, including 30 
specifically Daoist temples, as serving their community. 
There is a new interest in Daoism as part of a larger 
societal interest in traditional Chinese culture following 
Macau's reversion, and the community is attempting to meet 
this demand through public outreach.  In that respect, Master 
Ng and Mr. Cheung told us the government, from CE Ho down, 
has supported the community by providing land and grants 
through government-run foundations.  The government also 
makes well-trafficked public spaces available to the Daoists 
and other religious communities for outreach activities.  On 
the other hand, Master Ng told us the decline of the fishing 
industry has cost the community a core demographic, since 
fisherman patronized Daoist temples for protective rites and 
to worship the Daoist-affiliated folk deity Mazu (or Tin 
Hau).  Master Ng told us that, since the community lacks the 
means to support a full-time clergy, Masters tend to work at 
some other full-time job to earn a living.  There are no 
formal ordainment procedures, so Master Ng was only able to 
estimate a clerical population of about 20. 
 
---------------------------- 
Comment: The CGLO Connection 
---------------------------- 
 
¶13. (C) We would expect the CGLO to wish to manage relations 
between Macau's free and independent religious communities 
and their state-controlled co-religionists on the Mainland, 
but we were frankly surprised at the sincerity with which 
Macau communities praised CGLO's support and patronage of 
their events in Macau.  Why CGLO should take on this role is 
at present unclear to us, but we will venture two hypotheses. 
 First, quiet and relatively apolitical Macau may furnish 
central government authorities with a relatively tame venue 
to observe the role of independent religious communities in a 
generally open society, which in turn may factor into the 
development of Mainland religious policy.  The Mainland's 
interest in IIUM as a venue for training Catholic clergy, 
despite its affiliation with the Vatican-controlled 
international Catholic community, would lend credence to this 
notion, as would SARA's dialogue with the Baha'i.  Second, 
central authorities may have concluded that cultivating 
friendships with the communities would be the best way to 
forestall the rise of "hostile" figures in the religious 
communities along the lines of Hong Kong's Cardinal Zen. 
DONOVAN