Electoral College to elect new Archbishop on 18 October

The Special Meeting of the 8th General Synod for the Election of the Archbishop will be held on Sunday, 18th October (Feast of St Luke) from 3:30 pm to 8:00 pm and on Monday, 19th October from 6:30 pm to 10:00 pm at SKH Tang Shiu Kin Secondary School in Hong Kong and at St Paul’s Church in Macau simultaneously through video conferencing.

Members of the Electoral College will arrive at 3:30 pm on 18 October to register for the election. It is followed by the evening prayer at 4:00 pm. After the prayer, the meeting starts at 4:30 pm. In addition to documents for the election, namely, Handbook of the Election, member certificate, each member is provided with a health declaration form because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health declaration forms must be completed by members and submitted to the registry along with their member certificates before entering the election venue.

The three candidates of the election listed in alphabetical order of their last names are: Bishop Andrew Chan of the Diocese of Western Kowloon, Bishop Coadjutor Matthias Der of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island, and Bishop Timothy Kwok of the Diocese of Eastern Kowloon.

Voting shall be held separately in the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy and the House of Laity. The candidate will be declared elected Archbishop if he receives the highest votes, which must be a simple majority of more than half of the votes received in his favour in all three respective Houses of the Electoral College.

Although according to Section 12 of the Constitution of the Province, upon the installation of the Archbishop-elect, he shall hold office and exercise the duties and functions appertaining to the office of the Archbishop until the end of the calendar year when he shall attain the age of seventy (such age being the age of retirement), the same Section also provides that a retiring Archbishop shall remain in office until the Archbishop-elect is duly installed.

Profiles of candidates of the Archbishop Election

 The Rt Revd Andrew Chan

The Rt Revd Andrew Chan was born in 1962. He was awarded Bachelor of Philosophy (Education) from University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK in 1987; Certificate in Theology from Salisbury and Wells Theological College in 1991; and Master of Arts in Pastoral Theology from Heythrop College, University of London in 2004.

Bishop Chan was ordained to the deaconate on 18 October 1991 and to priesthood on 29 September 1992. He was appointed Dean of St John’s Cathedral in May 2005 and was made Canon in November 2006. He was elected the second Bishop of the Diocese of Western Kowloon on 26 June 2011, consecrated on 25 March 2012 and enthroned on 26 March 2012.

Bishop Chan is married with one son.

 The Rt Revd Matthias Der

 The Rt Revd Matthias Der was born in 1964. After obtaining Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto in 1987, he furthered his studies at Wycliffe College, Toronto, where he was awarded with Master of Divinity in 1990.

Bishop Der was ordained to the diaconate in 1990 in the Diocese of Toronto, and then to the priesthood in the following year. In 2007 he was made an Honorary Canon of St James’ Cathedral, Diocese of Toronto. He was appointed Dean of St John’s Cathedral, Hong Kong in July 2012.

He was elected Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island on 21 November 2019 and consecrated on 3 October 2020.

Bishop Der is married with two daughters.

The Rt Revd Timothy Kwok

The Rt Revd Timothy Kwok was born in 1959. He was awarded Bachelor of Philosophy (Education)  from University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK in 1986; Certificate in Theology from Wycliffe Hall, Oxford in 1988; M Phil in Pastoral Theology from University of Kent in 2003; and PhD from University of Birmingham in 2014 for his research in cultural reconciliation. 

Bishop Kwok was ordained to the deaconate in September 1988 and to priesthood in 1989. He became vicar of St. Peter's Church, Castle Peak in 1995. In addition to his vicarage duties, he was appointed as the director of Religious Education Resource Centre and the executive director of Wen Lin Publisher. He also involved in the Ming Hua Theological College in teaching Pastoral Theology and administration duties. In 2011 he was made an Canon of All Saints' Cathedral. In 2011 he was made an Canon of All Saints' Cathedral.

He was elected the second Bishop of the Diocese of Eastern Kowloon on 30 March 2014, consecrated on 23 November and enthroned on 24 November.

Bishop Kwok is married with two sons.