Cardinal Zen still fights for religious freedom and the Catholic Faith

We are happy to pass on, somewhat belatedly, this report from Hong Kong, where this past Sunday -- Corpus Christi Sunday -- Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-Kiun, the 93-year-old Archbishop Emeritus of the former British colony, celebrated the Traditional Latin Mass and led a Eucharistic procession at a parish church.

On X, he wrote (in both English and Chinese): "We celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, a feast the Church established precisely so that the faithful might allow God to enter more deeply into their daily lives through the Holy Eucharist. 

"After celebrating the Tridentine Mass (Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite) at Mary Help of Christians Parish in Hong Kong, I led a Eucharistic procession, bringing the Holy Eucharist out of the church and through the streets of the campus."

After the Eucharastic process, the prince of the Church added this touching testimony about Our Lord Jesus Christ, providing a public witness to the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in Communist-ruled Hong Kong:

"Jesus is truly Emmanuel -- God with us. He so desires to be with us that He left us this marvelous Sacrament, offering Himself under the appearance of bread and wine for us to eat and drink. The food we eat becomes part of our body, but when we receive Jesus, we become His Body. 

"Sometimes we say, 'Let us not leave Jesus alone in the tabernacle.' Of course, this is a figurative way of speaking. When Jesus revealed His Sacred Heart, He said, 'This heart has loved men so much, yet is so little loved in return.' As though He needs our consolation. In truth, it is not Jesus who needs us—but He knows that we need Him. To forget Jesus is our greatest loss."

A friend of the Cardinal wrote, "The procession (along with Cardinal Zen’s decision to publicly post his involvement in it on his X account) was a public demonstration of the unwavering hope and faith of many Chinese Catholics facing the brunt of the CCP’s persecution of religion and basic civil freedoms in Hong Kong."

Lord David Alton, a Catholic, responded to Cardinal Zen’s post with a post of his own: “Hong Kong’s Cardinal Joseph Zen is the outstanding religious leader of our times. refusing to abandon his people and refusing to comply with the demands of the Chinese Communist Party. He gives inspiration to all those persecuted for their beliefs."

Just so. To many Catholics both in China and the world who treasure the sacredness, reverence, and theological value of the Traditional Latin Mass, Cardinal Zen’s fortitude in defending orthodox Catholic doctrine, traditional Catholic liturgy, and standing up to anti-Christian persecutors (like the schismatic Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association), is an inspiration.

This report was abbreviated from an article by Angeline Tan, the Singapore-based correspondent of the Remnant Newspaper. Click here to view a list of Walt's many posts about the courageous Cardinal who seems destined for sainthood.