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We must have been fifteen or sixteen when we discovered the church visitor’s book. It was an old church, maybe medieval, and I would pass it with my school friends on our way to the town center. I’m not sure what possessed us to go in; it might have been my idea. I’ve always loved old churches. For a long time, I would tell myself that I liked the sense of history or the architecture, which was true as far as it went. Like the narrator in Philip Larkin’s poem “Church Going,” I would venture into any church I found,...

Just turned ninety-one, a proud traditionalist and very close to Ratzinger, Cardinal Joseph Zen, Archbishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, has always criticised the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops that the Holy See signed with China in September 2018, renewed last October. He talks about Ratzinger's sanctity, agrees with Monsignor Georg Gänswein on the issue of the Latin Mass, asks Bergoglio for a change of pace and tells how he is living this moment of trial, after the police arrested him last May, later releasing him on bail - for "colluding with foreign forces" in the context of managing...

[Catholic Caucus] HELL is in SESSION: Stand with Cardinal ZenIn thinking about what the 90-year-old Chinese Cardinal Joseph Zen is now enduring, I'm reminded of another such hero from back in my day, the Hungarian Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty. There was such an outcry and effort by all Catholics to plead and work for his release from a Communist prison. As school kids we prayed as a class and contributed our dimes for organizations working for his freedom. What do you hear now from the Vatican regarding Cardinal Zen? The following snip from Wikipedia shares what Pius XII said in behalf...

On May 24 pray for the Church in Hong Kong and Cardinal Zen 2022 Statement by Cardinal Bo concerning His Eminence Cardinal Joseph ZenAs President of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences, and following the arrest on 11 May of my brother Cardinal and fellow Salesian, Cardinal Joseph Zen, I wish to express my profound concern about the situation for human rights and threats to religious freedom in Hong Kong. I call on Catholics and the wider Christian community around the world to pray for Hong Kong, and I urge the international community to continue to monitor the situation...

[Catholic Caucus] PopeWatch: Bare MinimumEveryone, including even Nancy Pelosi, was criticizing the Chinese government for the arrest of Cardinal Zen. Notice was being taken of the silence of the Pope. So he finally makes concern noises, but even then he will not mention Cardinal Zen. Find someone in your life who will love you as much as Pope Francis loves the Chinese regime.

Next Week: Cardinal Zen Faces CourtHong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, 90, will appear in court on May 24, a source close to him told the anti-Church TheGuardian.com (May 16).Zen was arrested and released on bail on May 12. His alleged crime is connected to the origin of money belonging to a now dissolved fund whose trustee he was. The fund was helping dissidents in their legal defence.In his first public appearance since the arrest during a May 15 live stream for the Society of Saint Francis de Sales, Zen spoke about his upbringing and how he became a bishop. He...

Thich Nhat Hanh, the revered Zen Buddhist monk who helped pioneer the concept of mindfulness in the West and socially engaged Buddhism in the East, has died. He was 95. The death was confirmed by a monk at Tu Hieu Pagoda in Hue, Vietnam who said that Nhat Hanh, known as Thay to his followers, died at midnight on Saturday. The monk declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to media. A post on Nhat Hanh’s verified Twitter page attributed to The International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism also confirmed the news, saying, “We invite...

[Catholic Caucus] Cdl. Zen on Pope’s Latin Mass restrictions: They ‘hurt the hearts of many good people’July 27, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Joseph Zen last week joined a chorus of high-level critics of Pope Francis’s recent motu proprio Traditionis Custodes, saying that the document “hurt the hearts of many good people.”Traditionis Custodes, issued July 16, restricts celebration of Traditional Latin Mass, purporting to remove the “Mass of the Ages” from the Roman Rite altogether. The motu proprio contradicts and abrogates Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, which granted universal approval for priests to celebrate Holy Mass according to...

Cardinal Defends Latin Mass Against Francis’ CrusadeHong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, 89, is worried about possible restrictions Francis may impose on the Traditional Latin Mass.On his blog OldYosef.hkdavc.com (June 12), he makes a point in stressing that he is "clearly not considered an extremist" of the Roman Rite and that he has worked actively for the Novus Ordo as a priest and bishop.Nevertheless, Zen cannot deny the good that came from the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum. Through the Roman Rite, many young people of Hong Kong have "rediscovered the sense of adoration and reverence we owe to God, our Creator.”Zen...

Cardinal: Vatican Speaks “Inconsistent With Facts”Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, 89, criticised the Vatican's foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, on Twitter.com (March 31) for speaking “inconsistent with facts and self-contradictory.”Gallagher had told AmericaMagazine.org that the Holy See doesn't have a diplomatic policy "of denunciation almost anywhere in the world.” However, Zen cited cases where the Holy See did indeed publicly speak out against lawless governments.A statement should produce a "positive change" and not further "complicate" a situation, Gallagher continued but Zen questions what a "positive change" is and whether this should be assessed from the perspective of Faith or from...

[Catholic Caucus] Zen: Why Francis Fired Cardinal FiloniCardinal Zen writes on OldYosef.hkdavc.com (November 21) that we are living in the last days of human history.In this context he lists facts about the Vatican's betrayal of the Chinese Church.Francis' legitimation of seven illegitimate State bishops, two of them married, is for Zen even worse than the secret Vatican-China agreement which is used “to demand everything from the Catholic faithful.”Zen informs that Cardinal Filoni, the former Prefect of the Mission Congregation, was helping the Chinese Catholics telling them “not to be cheated" because "it is not in the agreement.”For Zen this was...

Cardinal Zen Challenges Cardinal Parolin Over China Deal Claims In an essay published on his blog Oct. 7, Cardinal Zen, the emeritus Bishop of Hong Kong, offered an extended and personal critique of an Oct. 3 speech given by Cardinal Parolin on the history and future of the Church’s missionary activity in China. VATICAN CITY — Cardinal Joseph Zen has rejected claims that the 2018 Vatican-China deal was approved in draft form by Pope Benedict XVI, and accused Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin of “manipulating” Pope Francis on the Church’s engagement with China. In an essay published on...

CARDINAL ZEN COMES TO ROME TO MEET THE POPE, WHO HAS NO TIME FOR HIM. 27 Settembre 2020 Pubblicato da Marco Tosatti Lascia il tuo commento  Marco Tosatti Dear friends and enemies of Stilum Curiae, yesterday I met with Cardinal Joseph Zen, who came to Rome on purpose from Hong Kong – for a visit limited to only 120 hours, just four days – in order to see the reigning Pontiff and speak to him about the Church in Hong Kong.The cardinal, who is 88, left Rome this morning without having an audience with the reigning Pontiff. If the human...

Catholic historian: If Cdl. Zen rightly criticizes Vatican Ostpolitik, why not ‘catastrophic’ Vatican II? ‘The Ostpolitik that Cardinal Zen criticizes, is, in fact, fruit of the Second Vatican Council. This is historical evidence that does not admit denials.’ August 21, 2020 (Rorate Caeli) — Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun is an eminent prelate who sincerely loves his country and the Church. Born in Shanghai in 1932, ordained to the priesthood in the Salesian Order in 1961, he was appointed Bishop by John Paul II in 1996 and created Cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2006. Between 1996 and 2009 he was coadjutor and subsequently...

De Mattei: An eminent Cardinal, but not very prudent Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun is an eminent prelate who sincerely loves his country and the Church. Born in Shanghai in 1932, ordained to the priesthood in the Salesian Order in 1961, he was appointed Bishop by John Paul II in 1996 and created Cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2006. Between 1996 and 2009 he was coadjutor and subsequently Archbishop of the diocese of Hong Kong, No one knows better than he does the complexity of the political and religious situation in China. On January 9, 2016, Cardinal Zen, today Bishop Emeritus of...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Zen Fires Back Today, Cardinal Zen answered to the letter of Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the dean of the cardinals.Mr. CardinalAllow me to use the means of an open letter in order to achieve a more timely communication.By indirect way, I have read your letter of 26 February (Prot. N. 1/2020) which also has the honour of having inaugurated your high office as the Dean of the College of Cardinals.I admire your courage in venturing into matters that you also recognise to be "complex", thus jeopardising the prestige of your newly inaugurated honorable office. But it is...

The Vatican Declares War on Cdl. Zen Explosive letter condemns Zen's opposition to China-Vatican agreement The Daily Compass has been shown an explosive letter signed by the Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cdl. Giovanni Battista Re, that fiercely attacks Cdl. Joseph Zen, the archbishop emeritus of Hong Kong, who has been critical of the secret agreement between China and the Holy See that has resulted in the increased persecution of Catholics. The letter contains misleading statements, affirming that there is a continuity between the approach of this pontificate with that of previous pontificates, when in fact no such continuity exists. Furthermore, it...

[Catholic Caucus] Cdl. Zen Celebrates Traditional Liturgy 'We are in the face of a mystery' Cardinal Joseph Zen celebrated a Pontifical Mass in the traditional rite at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer in New York Saturday for the third annual Lepanto Conference.  The main speaker at the conference, Zen addressed communist persecution of Chinese Catholics and talked about the traditional liturgy, which he explained is not a relic of the past. Cardinal Zen: "The people who like this form of liturgy are precisely young people, so it is not a question of nostalgia."  Cardinal Zen reminded the audience the...

[Catholic Caucus] Cardinal Zen offers Mass, and a war cry for the Church Cardinal Joseph Zen offers a Solemn High Pontifical Mass in New York City February 17, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – It would be easy to understand if 88-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen had been weary and less than eager for an interview. He had traveled to New York after a grinding schedule of long flights, interviews, and meetings. But he was joyful and relaxed when he showed up for his interview with LifeSite’s Claire Chretien in Manhattan.  Cardinal Zen, the Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, was 15 minutes early....

EXCLUSIVE: Cardinal Zen criticizes Vatican for ‘despis[ing] the heroes of faith’ in China In a 20-minute discussion, the cardinal lamented the Pope’s silence on China’s abuses of power in Hong Kong and described a dire situation for faithful Chinese Catholics. NEW YORK, February 14, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – The communist-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association “has always been objectively schismatic” and remains that way “but with the blessing from the Holy See,” Cardinal Joseph Zen said today. Cardinal Zen sat down with LifeSite for a one-on-one interview in New York today. In the 20-minute discussion, the cardinal lamented the Pope’s silence on China’s...