Posted on 05/12/2022 4:27:40 AM PDT by FarCenter
The arrest of Cardinal Joseph Zen today in Hong Kong automatically undermines Beijing’s international position without even granting any advantage to China – quite the contrary.
The cardinal was the biggest critic within the Church of the 2018 agreement between the Holy See and China, and during the past three and a half years, with concrete albeit slow developments in relations, he became marginal in the Church’s internal debate on China.
Today, his arrest brings him back to the center and gives him a stage that causes the whole Church trouble and embarrassment. The Pope has tried to hold the high ground on the conflict in Ukraine, foiling attempts by the Russian Orthodox Church to turn the invasion into a holy war.
The Holy See has strenuously defended the agreement with China, even when the US administration of President Donald Trump put it under enormous pressure in this regard.
Now this complicates everything for the Holy See and creates a new problem over something that seemed to have been resolved already.
That said, this very arrest shows how appropriate and necessary it was to have an agreement. Today at least there is a channel of communication and the fate of millions of Chinese Catholics has at least a minimum of protection.
The risk otherwise might have been to give them the difficult choice of the 1950s: to give up the faith or give up being Chinese.
That said, it is not at all clear why Beijing decided on this arrest today.
(Excerpt) Read more at asiatimes.com ...
The arrest of Hong Kong’s veteran Catholic Church leader Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun has sent shock waves through the community, sparking concerns that a wider net would be cast over religious institutions accused of having foreign ties.
National security police detained the 90-year-old cardinal on Wednesday night, along with former opposition lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee and singer Denise Ho Wan-sze, for allegedly colluding with foreign forces. Analysts questioned if such severe action was needed, arguing it would deal an emotional blow to religious groups and the public image of the government, while other observers said the move was centred more on politics than religion.
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3177400/national-security-law-arrest-hong-kongs-cardinal-joseph-zen
What a terrible place my home.town has become.
Unfortunately the Red Chinese regime has taken the gloves off. Any distinctiveness that Hong Kong had is going to be stripped away. By force, if needed.
Joseph Cardinal Zen is now just another dissident. His Ecclesiastical rank may keep him alive. Hopefully...
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