Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun was arrested on May 11 for allegedly failing to register a relief fund that provided legal aid to Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters. On the 15th, Cardinal Joseph Zen attended an online program in the evening. He said nothing about the allegations against him. Instead, he shared his personal beliefs and experiences. He admitted that he had never thought of becoming a bishop in the beginning but was fortunate enough to receive the trust of the Holy See. His message to the younger generation was to be an upright person who understands righteousness.
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun attended the “Vocations
We Answered to in Those Years,” a program organized by the Salesian Vocations
Office (China Province). He revealed that before his ordination with John Tong
Hon in 1996, he had never thought he would become a bishop.
“Young people need leadership and education in
the stage of growth. Human growth requires a long journey. As the generations
progress, there are more and more things to learn. It is the most important to
learn how to be a human and be a person of integrity,” Cardinal Joseph Zen
Ze-kiun expressed.
He believes that there are many different
goals in life: “The world is very chaotic. Some people pursue other things.
They want money, wealth, and power.” He believes that it is acceptable to be
the most simple and regular person. No matter how long their lifespan is, it is
vital for everyone to learn the truth regarding how to be a human, to be a
person whose heart is filled with righteousness and kindness. He believes this
is the purpose of life.
Cardinal Zen led by example in the pursuit of God’s
justice, actively participated in Hong Kong’s pro-democratic activities and
became the target of the regime. The arrest comes at a time when the new Hong
Kong chief executive, John Lee Ka-Chiu, was elected without rivals on the back
of a committee controlled by Beijing. Cardinal Zen’s arrest was a clear and
unfavorable indication that the new chief executive, John Lee Ka-Chiu, a former
police officer known for his toughness, would further intensify the crackdown
on pro-democracy figures.
To preserve the further loss of Hong
Kong’s image of the rule of law, both administrators and pro-Beijing clergy are
working to make clear that the police’s investigation and arrest of Cardinal
Joseph Zen Ze-kiun have nothing to do with religious freedom.
John Lee Ka-Chiu, who admits to being a
Catholic, said after Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun was detained and released on
bail: “No matter who this case involves, what’s most important is that we are
targeting his criminal conduct, there are no direct relations to his background
and thinking.”
When the media followed up with questions
regarding his views on Cardinal Zen’s arrest, The Reverend Canon Peter Douglas
Koon, the former Provincial Secretary-General of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui
(also known as the Hong Kong Angelical Church) who is seen as pro-Beijing, also
said: “This matter should have nothing to do with religious freedom.”
Hong Kong Cable TV quoted Lai Tung-Kwok, the
former Secretary of Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and
the representative of the Hong Kong District of the National People’s Congress,
as saying: “I highly respect Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun; we share the same
faith. As for this matter involving a criminal case, it should therefore not
have any relations to religious belief.”
The role of Cardinal Zen plays a pivotal role
in Hong Kong. Roman Catholicism has significant influence in Hong Kong;
according to the statistics of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, as of the end
of August 2021, there were 401,000 Catholics in Hong Kong.
Cardinal Zen maintains a good reputation among
Catholics and Hong Kong civil society. He is of old age but still lives
modestly in the Hong Kong Salesian House. He persists in seeking justice and enjoys
the fine reputation of being “The Conscience of Hong Kong.”
The arrest of Cardinal Zen is of political
nature, attempts to serve as a warning, and aims to intimidate the democratic
camp; it is inhumane. The 90-year-old Cardinal Zen and others have become
criminal suspects of the Hong Kong Police, which has attracted widespread
attention from the international community. The Vatican said the Holy See would
closely monitor developments, the U.S. State Department strongly condemned the
arrests, and British Foreign Office officials called Hong Kong police’s
practices “unacceptable.”
Joseph Zen Ze-kiun was born in Shanghai in
1932. He entered the Roman Catholic Salesian Preparatory School at the age of
12 to study. He joined the Church in Hong Kong in 1948. After the establishment
of the Communist Party of China in 1949, he went to study in Turin, Italy.
After obtaining a doctorate, he returned to Hong Kong to teach theology and
philosophy. In March 2006, Joseph Zen Ze-kiun was promoted to cardinal by Pope
Benedict XVI, becoming a “cardinal” who has the right to elect or be elected as
Pope.
Cardinal Joseph Zen’s active involvement in
social affairs has aroused dissatisfaction with the authorities. In January, Ta
Kung Pao, China’s official newspaper in Hong Kong, published an article
accusing him of being ‘lawless.”
He has been at odds with Beijing for a long
time. On October 1, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized 120 missionaries who were
martyred in China during the late Qing Dynasty and other periods. The Chinese
Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticized many of them as imperial colonialists
and criminals and accused the Vatican of provocation. Cardinal Joseph Zen wrote
an article revealing that the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government
in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region had asked the Hong Kong Diocese
to deal with the canonization quietly. Because he had spoken with a
bishop in mainland China, the Liaison Office warned that “Beijing is very
dissatisfied with you.” The article also criticized Beijing for persecuting
mainland clergy.
Vatican’s Secretary of State Pietro Parolin,
who strongly advocated the signing of the provisional agreement on the
appointment of bishops between China and the Holy See, is saddened by Cardinal
Joseph Zen’s arrest and expressed that the situation with Cardinal Zen should
not be viewed as a disavowal of the provisional agreement on the appointment of
bishops between China and the Holy See. Cardinal Zen has not made any attempt
to conceal his difference of opinion with Secretary of State Parolin. Cardinal Zen
has clearly opposed the agreement and even criticized Parolin for it. In his
perspective, the agreement is a betrayal of China’s underground Church and is a
gift from the Holy See right into the palms of the CCP.
~ Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent of ChinaAid