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Hong Kong nationwide safety police arrested Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun on Wednesday for alleged conspiracy to collude with international powers. Cardinal Zen is a 90-year-old former bishop and senior determine in Hong Kong’s democracy motion. He’s reportedly in frail well being. Zen was arrested for being a former trustee of the 612 Humanitarian Aid Fund, a gaggle that offered protestors monetary aid for authorized troubles and medical wants. The group disbanded final 12 months after police launched a nationwide safety regulation investigation in opposition to it. Additionally arrested have been three different trustees of the fund: Denise Ho, the Cantopop star and activist; Margaret Ng, a lawyer and former lawmaker; and Hui Po-keung, a distinguished educational. At The Wall Road Journal, Elaine Yu, Selina Cheng, and Francis X. Rocca reported on the potential response to Zen’s arrest and the Catholic Church’s silence on Hong Kong human rights points:
The arrest of a cardinal, even one who has criticized the coverage of the present preach, is prone to increase stress on the Vatican to protest publicly. It might additionally make it tougher for the Vatican to resume its controversial cope with Beijing on the appointment of bishops when it comes up for renewal in October.
“This was a really grave error by the Hong Kong authorities,” mentioned Francesco Sisci, an Italian China professional who teaches at Beijing’s Renmin College of China. “It needlessly aggravates relations with the West and the Christian world…and places Cardinal Zen again at middle stage.”
[…] The Vatican has averted criticizing Beijing for its human-rights document. In July 2020, Pope Francis determined on the final minute to not ship ready remarks expressing concern in regards to the clashes between the authorities and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. That September, the U.S. secretary of state on the time, Mike Pompeo, talking in Rome, referred to as on the Vatican to face up for human rights in China, suggesting that it had failed to take action for diplomatic causes. [Source]
Cardinal Joseph Zen was launched on bail from Chai Wan Police Station at round 11 pm on Wednesday. He didn’t communicate. He then entered a non-public automotive parked outdoors the police station. The 90-year-old was accompanied by 5 folks when he left the police station. pic.twitter.com/s21AJ0Th0A
— Hong Kong Free Press HKFP (@hkfp) May 11, 2022
“Pray for him,” mentioned HK Democratic Social gathering founder Martin Lee when requested in regards to the arrest of Cardinal Zen @CardJosephZen . pic.twitter.com/Z8q2wLREbr
— Xinqi Su 蘇昕琪 (@XinqiSu) May 12, 2022
Zen’s arrest might complicate the Vatican’s already tough relationship with China. Shortly after his arrest, the Holy See introduced that it “has realized with concern the information of the arrest of Cardinal Zen and is following the event of the state of affairs with excessive consideration.” The U.S.-China Catholic Affiliation mentioned “many residents of Hong Kong don’t contemplate Cardinal Zen anti-Chinese language, however fairly contemplate him an amazing patriot.” Zen has been a vocal critic of the Vatican’s rapprochement with China. He has repeatedly critiqued a 2018 secret deal that’s believed to permit China to nominate bishops of its selecting, an influence traditionally reserved for the Holy See. As Zen mentioned on the time, “The Communist authorities simply desires the church to give up, as a result of they need full management, not solely of the Catholic Church however all of the religions.” The rapprochement is controversial in China, too. There’s reportedly battle between the Ministry of International Affairs, which is in search of nearer ties with the Vatican, and the United Entrance Work Division, which has sought to impose extra restrictions on China’s Catholics.
The arrest of Cardinal Zen @CardJosephZen,
echoed the arrest of Cardinal Kung Pin-mei,who was jailed by the Communist Social gathering as he refused to give up to the state controlling the Church in Nineteen Fifties.Many Catholic bishops have been persecuted on the mainland,and now #HK. pic.twitter.com/MRK5wthba9— Eric Yan-ho Lai 黎恩灝 (@laiyanhoeric) May 11, 2022
Zen’s arrest will not be totally sudden. Earlier this 12 months, the Hong Kong outlet Ta Kung Pao, which is owned by the Chinese language central authorities, printed a blistering assault on Zen that accused him of meddling with Hong Kong, alongside different articles attacking the church and church-run colleges. Zen had continued to go to activist billionaire Jimmy Lai, a practising Catholic, in jail, and he additionally attended the trials of different Catholic activists. Zen’s arrest has despatched chills via the town’s Catholic Church, which was already divided about methods to proceed below the Nationwide Safety Legislation, reported The Monetary Instances’ Primrose Riordan and Chan Ho-him:
Native Catholic leaders lately determined to cancel annual commemorations of China’s bloody crushing of protests in Tiananmen Sq. in 1989 for worry of violating the regulation imposed by Beijing two years in the past, in line with church insiders.
[…] Within the newest incident, a diocesan administrator tendered their resignation over a posting on the “Catholic Method” Fb web page on April 27. The submit, which was shortly deleted, summarized a tv interview wherein an area priest accused China of trying to manage faith in Hong Kong. The diocese mentioned the administrator had resigned of their very own accord.
[…] One Hong Kong priest mentioned that no space of life within the metropolis would escape the tightening of political controls.
“In the event you ask whether or not [local] clergymen at the moment are extra nervous in regards to the safety regulation . . . I’d inform you that everybody in Hong Kong is worried in regards to the regulation,” he mentioned. [Source]
The Catholic Church will not be the one spiritual establishment below stress in Hong Kong. At The Washington Submit, Theodora Yu reported on the plight of Hong Kong’s Christian church buildings:
A research by the Hong Kong Church Renewal Motion final 12 months revealed that over a 3rd of church buildings have been now extra inclined to regulate the content material of their preaching in mild of the political state of affairs within the metropolis.
[… Peter Koon, an Anglican cleric who is the first member of a religious institution to be elected to Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing legislature,] informed The Washington Submit there’s nonetheless house to speak about social points inside church buildings, such because the poverty hole and housing insurance policies, and pastors needn’t overly self-censor. There isn’t any battle between religion and patriotism as a result of loving the nation is a “primary requirement” and spiritual freedom is “assured within the Fundamental Legislation,” he mentioned.
[…] John Chan, assistant professor on the Alliance Bible Seminary, famous that pastors have ceased to deal with politics of their sermons, whether or not on-line or in particular person. He mentioned church buildings are devising various plans to function, altering “the entire ecosystem,” in order that “the eggs is not going to all topple directly.” [Source]
The worldwide neighborhood reacted to Zen’s arrest with outrage. Human Rights Watch’s Maya Wang referred to as Zen’s arrest “a stunning new low for Hong Kong, illustrating the town’s free fall in human rights previously two years.” Amnesty Worldwide’s Asia-Pacific Regional Director mentioned the arrests have been a “stunning escalation” and confirmed Hong Kong authorities’ “callous disregard for the fundamental rights of its residents.”
Chinese language authorities dismissed the criticism. International Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian mentioned, “Hong Kong is a society dominated by regulation. No particular person nor group could be above the regulation, and all of the unlawful actions shall be punished in accordance with the regulation.” State-run tabloid International Instances printed interviews with Peter Koon, the pro-Beijing Anglican cleric talked about above, and Lawrence Ma, the chairman of the Hong Kong Authorized Change Basis, wherein each males defended the arrest of the nonagenarian Cardinal:
Peter Douglas Koon Ho-ming, a LegCo member and former provincial secretary common of the Anglican church in Hong Kong, informed the International Instances on Thursday that the arrest of Zen confirmed that spiritual communities must also abide by the regulation, and everyone seems to be equal earlier than the regulation.
The US prematurely made irresponsible remarks and even referred to as for the discharge of Zen when the case was nonetheless below investigation and the details of the case have been unclear, Koon mentioned.
[…] Think about if a Hong Kong particular person commits crime in Canada leading to harm or hurt to that nation, Canada would really like such particular person to be charged, put to trial, and punished accordingly, Ma famous.“Western allies’ hypocrisy on this concern is appalling and their solely sinister motive is to assault the rule of regulation within the HKSAR with a plot to undermine China,” he mentioned. [Source]
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