A Catholic arrested at pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong has seen his plight addressed in an open letter to Pope Francis on Facebook, three months after meeting the pontiff in South Korea.

Giovanni Pang, who met Francis during his landmark first visit to the region in August and took a ‘selfie’ with the pope, was among more than 100 people arrested by police Tuesday night as they removed barricades at the main protest site in Mongkok district.

“Do you recall Giovanni Pang from Hong Kong who met you twice in South Korea earlier?” Popular radio DJ Henry Chan, a friend of Pang, said in his letter to the pope posted on Facebook during the early hours of Wednesday morning. “May I let you know this issue and bring it to [sic] Vatican’s kind attention?”

The letter added that Pang went to the protest site to help students as bailiffs removed barriers and arrested leaders of the pro-democracy movement after two months of sit-in rallies.

The movement's student leaders Joshua Wong and Lester Shum were arrested at the scene on Wednesday, according to a group called Scholarism and the Hong Kong Federation of Students.

The Hong Kong Diocese, which Pang works for as a member of the liturgy and youth commissions, reportedly sent a representative to the police station to check on Pang’s situation, according to Chan.

Pang was widely referenced by global media during the papal visit to South Korea after Francis dodged a question he asked about “control and oppression” of Catholics in China.

After the World Youth Day event in Solmoe, Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi told reporters that the pope decided to avoid “political” topics during what was supposed to be a “pastoral” event.

October was the month dedicated to Mary, so I find it fitting to write an article 

about Mary and what we can learn and adopt from her. Mary was engaged to Joseph, 

when she received a message from the Angel Gabriel saying to Mary, you shall be the 

mother of the savior of the world. Then as the gospels progress we see the hardships she 

faced in regards to Jesus fulfilling his ministry and eventually dying on the cross for our 

sins. 

Our lady of sorrows highlights some of the Pain that Mary had to face in her life 

as the Mother of God. The seven Sorrows are as follows, the prophecy of Simeon, the 

flight to Egypt, the loss of Jesus in the Temple, Mary meeting Jesus on the way to 

Calvary, Jesus’s death on the cross, Mary receiving the body of Jesus, and Jesus being 

laid in the tomb. Although this all happened to Mary she still was steadfast in her 

devotion to God, and was constantly saying yes despite the pain it most have cost her to 

do so. 

We live in a World that is ravaged by pain, from miniscule pain like a grazed 

knee, to more overwhelming pain like starvation, lowliness, prosecution, disease, War 

etc. The question most people then ask is “why is there so much pain in the world, it must 

mean that the Lord does not care about the people he created, or better yet God must just 

be an illusion, a false hope that people hold on to. To spare you all a theology lesson, on 

the existence of God, that is not the purpose of this article but rather to give hope in pain 

and suffering by using Mary as the epitome of someone who persevered and still trusted 

in the Lord despite her pain and suffering. 

With that said when life throws you a curveball and you feel your faith tested look 

to Mary to mother of God, look to her life, look to her constant yes to the will of God 

despite the pain it brought her and ask for her guidance in your time of suffering. I will 

you all my readers a blessed month of October and I will be praying for you all, as I ask 

you all pray for me as well and when pain and suffering comes our way we should take 

heart and still seek the will of God. For our Brothers and Sisters living in perpetual 

suffering and pain we pray for them. God Bless you all.