Cardinal Zen Prepares For Trial On Charges Tied To Pro-Democracy Fund
Chinese Cardinal Joseph Zen, an outspoken Catholic cleric arrested on national security charges earlier this year, and four others will stand trial next week in a Hong Kong courtroom.
The 90-year-old humanitarian activist and religious freedom fighter, who had previously served as bishop of Hong Kong from 2002 to 2009, was detained last May in connection with his role as administrator of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund.
The fund, which had been able to raise $32 million before it was shut down last year, supported pro-democracy demonstrations by paying for the legal and medical expenses of protesters.
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Hong Kong police said at the time of Zen’s arrest on orders from the Chinese Communist Party that he had been involved with “collusion with foreign forces” for his role with the fund, which aided protesters starting in 2019.
The trial — originally set to start on Monday — was delayed to next week after the judge tested positive for COVID-19. The trial, officials said, is expected to conclude with a verdict within five days. Zen could face a fine or time behind bars.
Although Zen, who remains free on bail, was arrested on national security grounds, The Pillar reported that he is due in court to face charges only that as a trustee he’d failed to properly register the fund. It is not known whether authorities will formally charge Zen with the national security crimes.
Officials said last year that they had embarked on a probe into the fund for possible violations of national security laws.
The arrests also sparked concerns over potential wider crackdowns by the CCP against religious and pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong. Zen is the latest in a series of well-known Catholics to be arrested in Hong Kong, including newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai.
“(Zen) says what he feels and you can see that there are limitations there,” Pope Francis told reporters during a recent news conference following a trip to Kazakhstan. “Qualifying China as undemocratic, I do not identify with that, because it's such a complex country.”
The cardinal has been a thorn in the side of the CCP for years. In 2018, the cardinal sent an appeal to Pope Francis, urging him to leave politics out of the selection of Catholic bishops in China.
The Vatican ultimately renewed its deal with the Chinese government for another two years — ending a power struggle despite concerns from Zen and others that it would be a sellout to underground Catholics in the country.
The deal, deemed controversial by many in the church, called for officials in Beijing to formally recognize the pope’s authority within the church. The pontiff, in response, recognized the legitimacy of bishops previously appointed by the CCP.
In a letter sent to ReligionUnplugged.com in November 2020, Zen reflected on the Vatican’s continued cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party, declaring the church in China “schismatic” and placing the blame on Vatican officials, such as Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin, for brokering such a deal.
Clemente Lisi is a senior editor at Religion Unplugged and teaches journalism at The King’s College in New York City. His new book “The FIFA World Cup: A History of the Planet's Biggest Sporting Event” comes out Oct. 12. Follow him on Twitter @ClementeLisi.