Cardinal Zen warns Chinese bishops against compromise with Beijing
January 05, 2009
Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong has warned the Catholic bishops of mainland China against cooperating with plans by Communist Party leaders to elect new leadership for the Catholic Patriotic Association. Participation in such an election would be an insult to the Pope-- "a slap in his face"-- the cardinal argued. In a column for the diocesan weekly Kung Kao Po, he reminded the Chinese bishops that they are "accountable to history," and added that compromises with government officials "cannot go on forever." Cardinal Zen entitled his newspaper column: "Inspiration from St. Stephen's Martyrdom."
In December, when Cardinal Zen announced his plan to retire early this year from his leadership post in the Hong Kong diocese, some secular journalists interpreted the step as evidence that the Vatican is hoping for a more conciliatory approach toward Beijing. Cardinal Zen's latest statement, in conjunction with his explanation that retirement will give him more time to work with bishops on the mainland, suggests exactly the opposite.
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