Hong Kong Police Arrest Zen On National Security Charge

Hong Kong police have arrested one of the Catholic Church’s most prominent cardinal for allegedly “colluding with foreign forces,” police have confirmed.

Cardinal Joseph Zen was arrested alongside four aid workers for violating China’s national security law.

Cardinal Zen and the four staffers were picked up by Hong Kong police after an eight-month investigation into the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which helped pro-democracy Joseph protest pay their legal and medical fees, a legal source told Reuters.

Pop singer and activist Denise Ho, former lawyer Margaret Ng, ex-lawmaker Cyd Ho, and academic Hui Po-Keung also face charges of collusion.

Cardinal Zen was “arrested and is being questioned,” said a police official.

The Hong Kong police and the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese have not issued any statements on the arrests.

Cardinal Zen, who is one of Asia’s most senior clerics, had once publicly admonished the Vatican for “selling out” to China by forcing bishops to retire in favour of replacements picked by Beijing. He also spoke out against Chinese President Xi Jinping and the growing authoritarianism in China under his rule several times.

The charges stem from a law that was imposed in 2020 that punishes all acts of terrorism, collusion with foreign forces, subversion, and secession with life imprisonment.

US officials have said they are concerned about Hong Kong’s crackdown on religious groups.

“All I can tell you is that I think we’re increasingly troubled by steps in Hong Kong to pressure and eliminate civil society,” US Indo-Pacific coordinator Kurt Campbell said.

HongKong authorities have said the new laws have brought stability to the city since the 2019 riots over the controversial legislation.

If found guilty, they could face life in prison. Human Rights Watch called it a “shocking new low for Hong Kong.”

Cardinal Zen fled Shanghai for Hong Kong after the communists took over China 70 years ago, and is a former bishop of Hong Kong. He has long been a critic of the government in Beijing, speaking out for Catholics in mainland China and for more democracy in Hong Kong.

“Arresting a 90-year-old cardinal for his peaceful activities has to be a shocking new low for Hong Kong, illustrating the city’s free fall in human rights in the past two years,” Human Rights Watch said.
The Vatican is concerned about the cardinal’s arrest, spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement.
The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong has also spoken out, saying they are “extremely concerned about the condition and safety of Cardinal Joseph Zen”.

“We urge the Hong Kong Police and the judicial authorities to handle Cardinal Zen’s case in accordance with justice,” they added.