When Even Silence Screams for Justice: The Trial of Cardinal Joseph Zen
In 2020, after months of protests that received no attention from the Vatican, Cardinal Joseph Zen attempted to meet with Pope Francis. Then, he was denied access. Now, he's been DENIED.
On a sunny day in late November, 2019, President Donald J Trump addressed members of the press from the White House Rose Garden. The press conference, which extended over an hour, focused on the historic—yet underreported—protests against the Chinese Communist Party, led by students in Hong Kong. It was during this press conference that President Trump announced he would be signing a bill into law—that bill, Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act—not only imposed sanctions on those committing gross human rights violations in Hong Kong, but imparted special privileges to the region, responsibilities of the President and Congress to review.
Less than two months later, COVID-19 shut everything down, including the hope of Democracy in Hong Kong.
In what was once considered a semi-autonomous region, Hong Kong was protected by the “one country, two systems” constitutional privilege afforded to it in the 1984 Sino-Britain Joint Declaration. Rumors that the CCP was aiming to take control over Hong Kong began to circulate in early 2019, and by March a new “Extradition Bill” was proposed—sparking widespread protests. Millions of people from all over Hong Kong protested peacefully, as many feared arrests would lead to disappearances as often are the case on the mainland.
A leader shone out among the many who stood with protestors in 2019— Cardinal Joseph Zen, Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong. In October of 2020, Cardinal Zen sat with me for over two hours, to discuss the complexities of the Vatican’s secret deal with the CCP, and the pope’s subsequent silence on Hong Kong. I asked His Eminence, then, if he would ever return to Rome, after failing to be received by Pope Francis. He responded in the negative—his health would not permit such a long and fruitless flight. My source, who also attended our breakfast, later told me they feared we were witnessing martyrdom in action—that the international spotlight would eventually fade, and with the CCP’s National Security Law, imposed during COVID—it was only a matter of time until they would silence him.
Cardinal Zen, however, was never silent during, or after the protests—saying mass for protesters, attending rallies, advocating for those later incarcerated—even taking public transit early in the morning in order to enter the prisons where Jimmy Lai, founder of pro-democracy media outlet Apple Daily and student leaders were held, in order to comfort them and bring them traditional moon cakes. In fact, as Pope Francis noted during recent trip to Kazakstan—a trip where, apparently, he had sought and had been refused a meeting with Chinese President Xi— “Cardinal Zen is going to trial, these days…and he says what he feels, and you can see (by the consequences) that there are limitations there (in China).”
Beginning in May of this year, Cardinal Zen was arrested by the CCP, charged with “colluding with foreign powers” under the “National Security” Law, for his leadership role in the “612 Humanitarian Fund”—a charity for pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong. The trial, set to begin September 19th, was postponed—the judge, reportedly, testing positive for COVID. As the Pope remained silent in the interim, few voices rang out in defense of the 90-year old Cardinal: Cardinals Gerhard Muller and Fernando Filoni were published in Italian press.
On Tuesday of this week—only the second day in what had been expected to be a five-day trial—Judge Ada Yim adjourned until October 26. According to reports by Radio Free Asia, after allowing the prosecution time to argue their case, the judge overruled the defense’s cross examinations as “irrelevant”, and “adjourned before the defense could call witnesses or make its case.”
Despite the injustices he is facing, Cardinal Joseph Zen continues to edify, exemplifying the virtues of courage and longsuffering, expected from those who wear the Red. After overseeing the relocation of the remains of his predicessor, Cardinal John Baptist Wu and celebrating a mass in remembrance of him, “His Eminence wrote the following on his social media: “We thank God, who has given Himself completely to us, and the only condition is that we believe in Him. Throughout his life, even in the face of difficulties and illnesses, Cardinal Hu always had a smile on his face. Let us follow the example of Cardinal Hu and continue to pray for him if he needs it; let us always be grateful and consecrate to God the difficulties and setbacks we face in our lives.”
As the trial continues, I will be reporting here—on Epoch and other media outlets. Let us hope, as the Vatican considers renewing the secret Sino-Vatican deal this month, that Pope Francis will consider whether the agreements made with China have been agreements kept…and the price he has paid.