By Catholic News Service
HONG KONG (CNS) — Hong Kong’s national security police released Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, retired archbishop of Hong Kong, May 11 after detaining him for allegedly colluding with foreign forces.
He was detained along with along with former opposition lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee and singer Denise Ho Wan-sze.
[Related: Chinese Catholics Welcome Cardinal Zen]
The independent Hong Kong Free Press tweeted a photo of a masked Cardinal Zen and said: “Cardinal Joseph Zen was released on bail from Chai Wan Police Station at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday. He did not speak. He then entered a private car parked outside the police station. The 90-year-old was accompanied by five people when he left the police station.”
Cardinal Zen, barrister Margaret Ng and others released following four Hong Kong national security arrests https://t.co/sOkh23ZFX4 pic.twitter.com/BxuNbr2Kml
— Hong Kong Free Press HKFP (@hkfp) May 11, 2022
Ned Price, U.S. Department of State Spokesperson said he “condemned” the arrest of Cardinal Zen, Margaret Ng, Hui Po-keung and Denise Ho during a May 11 press briefing.
“Hong Kong authorities have again demonstrated that they will pursue all means necessary to stifle dissent and undercut protected rights and freedoms,” Price said. “We call for the immediate release of all of those who remain in custody and of course we continue to stand with the people of Hong Kong.”
The cardinal, Ng and Ho were among five trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which was set up to offer financial assistance to those involved in anti-government protests in 2019 and which came under scrutiny of authorities over the past year.
A fourth trustee, former adjunct associate professor Hui Po Keung, was arrested by national security police May 10 as he was about to catch a flight to Germany, a source said. The South China Morning Post reported May 11 that Hui had been put on the list of people who would be stopped by law enforcers if they tried to leave the city via the airport or other control points.
Hong Kong Free Press also reported the release of Ng and Po.
Under Hong Kong’s 2020 security law, people arrested for colluding with foreign forces could be sent to China for trial if arrested and charged. The law made participating in or supporting the pro-democracy movement crimes of subversion and collusion with foreign organizations and allowed for those remanded to be extradited to mainland China. Punishment ranges between a minimum of three years and a maximum of life imprisonment.
At the Vatican, Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said May 11, “The Holy See has learned with concern the news of Cardinal Zen’s arrest and is following the development of the situation with extreme attention.”
After news of the arrest on May 11, Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford and chairman of the U.S. bishop’s conference on International Justice and Peace, made a statement calling for prayer and justice.
“I join with the Holy See in expressing concern for the fate of Cardinal Zen and others who share his current predicament,” Bishop Malloy said.
Cardinal Zen has publicly delivered detailed critiques of Beijing. He has been close to other high-profile dissidents and has gone as far as sleeping on the streets with students protesters.
Beijing’s ire has also been raised by the cardinal’s ongoing critique of the Vatican’s controversial 2018 deal with China regarding the appointment of bishops, an attempt to end a fractious relationship that stretched back to the time of dictator Mao Zedong. Cardinal Zen said he was concerned the deal would “kill” the unofficial or underground church in China, whose leaders refuse to register with the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
The cardinal’s detention came months after a series of articles in state-run media attacking his activism. It also comes amid rising fears that Beijing would begin instituting closer control over the church in Hong Kong, in line with its central management of the church on the mainland.
Beijing has a history of arresting and jailing priests and bishops, with a number still unaccounted for in recent decades.
Shortly after the new security law was implemented, Cardinal Zen said that while he would remain prudent, he was prepared to suffer arrest and trials under the new law.
“If right and proper words were considered against their law, I will endure all the suing, trials and arrests. Numerous predecessors have endured similarly,” he said in a video posted on his Facebook page.
At the Vatican, Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, said May 11, “The Holy See has learned with concern the news of Cardinal Zen’s arrest and is following the development of the situation with extreme attention.”
