Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Hong Kong (Agenzia Fides) – "Regardless of his social context or formation, it is obligatory for priests to care for the most vulnerable members of society, taking care of their problems." These were the words of Father Franco Mella, a PIME missionary since 1974 in service in Hong Kong, as he emphasized the social dimension of the priesthood. According to reports from the Kong Ko Bao (the Chinese version of the diocesan bulletin), Fr. Mella, for years engaged in the field of social justice, told the Catholic newspaper in Hong Kong that "sometimes the faithful believe that priests should only deal with spiritual things, but the spiritual life is closely linked to our temporal life." Then the missionary said: "During my training, the rectors were worried that we might enter too deeply into social life, too. Today, however, the seminary formators are concerned that seminarians today are not at all interested in social life. In my opinion, regardless of their context and formation, priests must have the social dimension present in their hearts, because it is part of the priesthood." Fr. Mella was born in Italy in 1948 and entered the PIME seminary at age 18. Ordained a priest in 1974, was sent to Hong Kong in September of that year. In the 1990s, he worked on the mainland, in the city of Xu Zhou and Kai Feng, as a professor. In recent years, he has increased his social commitments to the poor, the weak, and the needy in society. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 08/03/2010)
