MACAU RELIGIOUS FREEDOM: REVERSION WAS ONLY THE

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.

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Protestants: Several Denominations Active
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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.

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Buddhists: Short on Clergy
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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