Anti-extradition HK Students Meet Pope Francis

Two Hong Kong students tried on Saturday to convince Pope Francis to join their cause in opposing the extradition bill, taking advantage of a youth forum in Rome to deliver a petition letter directly to the pontiff.

Erica Ng and Stephen Wong, members of the Federation of Catholic Students, are attending the International Youth Forum on behalf of the church in Hong Kong.

In an online post, Ng said both managed to exchange a few words with the Pope and shake his hand, while delivering the letter which details the recent mass protests against the divisive extradition bill, as well as the involvement of young Catholics in the movement.

She said they asked him to keep an eye on events in Hong Kong, and to pray for the city – requests that she said the Pope ‘happily’ agreed to.

Local Catholics have had a high profile in the recent demonstrations – particularly with the movement’s adoption of the hymn ‘Sing Hallelujah to the Lord’ as its unofficial anthem.

Many people – both religious and non-religious – have sang the repetitive hymn over and over for hours amid heated standoffs with police in an attempt to calm things down and prevent violence.