His Excellency Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai SDB received a warm welcome to Edinburgh while on a special pastoral visit.
He celebrated Mass yesterday for the Cantonese-speaking community for Chinese New Year in Sacred Heart Jesuit Church in Lauriston.
Archbishop Savio is visiting parishes in London, Cambridge, Birmingham, Warrington, Glasgow and Manchester, bringing his pastoral message to Cantonese communities and beyond.
This morning he met Archbishop Cushley, who said: "We had a very positive meeting and he was pleased to hear about the work being done to reach out to the Chinese and those from Hong Kong who are living in the UK.
I had a positive meeting today with Archbishop Savio who was pleased to hear about the work done in Scotland to reach out to Catholics from China & Hong Kong. Cantonese-speaking Catholics gather to celebrate Mass at Sacred Heart Church, Edinburgh, on the 2nd Sunday of each month. pic.twitter.com/zcBlrALysS
— Archbishop Leo Cushley (@leocushley) January 30, 2025
"The Catholic community has already made them very welcome in the Archdiocese, in particular at Sacred Heart Parish in Lauriston, Edinburgh, where Cantonese-speaking Catholics gather to celebrate Mass on the second Sunday of each month.
"It gives us a way of learning more, and to better understand their pastoral needs."
He added: "Archbishop Savio and I overlapped in Rome about 15 years ago when we were both working for Pope Benedict XVI so it was really good to catch up with him."
Archbishop Savio is Apostolic Nuncio to Malta and Libya, and Titular Archbishop of Sila.
A Salesian and a theologian, he was consecrated as a Bishop by Pope Benedict XVI and served on the Theological Commission at the invitation of the late Holy Father.
Archbishop Savio is well-regarded for his pastoral care during his active ministry within the Salesian Order and the Diocese of Hong Kong.
Among his notable contributions is leading a team to translate the Catechism of the Catholic Church, promulgated by St John Paul II, into Chinese – an enduring legacy widely used across Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, and mainland China.
The Cantonese-speaking Catholic community in Edinburgh gathers to celebrate Mass at Sacred Heart Church on the second Sunday of each month. Visit edinburghjesuit.org.uk