Walt is saddened, not not shocked, to report that Joseph Cardinal Zen, a longtime foe of the Chinese Communists, is the defendant in a show trial set to begin today in Hong Kong. You might think that the man who calls himself Pope Francis would spring to the defence of the retired Archbishop of Hong Kong, but you would be wrong.
The 612 fund was set up to help pay legal costs for those arrested in the 2019-20 pro-democracy demonstrations. Prosecutors claim the fund wasn’t registered properly under Hong Kong's Societies Ordinance -- a law frequently used against triads, or secret societies.
If convicted, the defendants could be fined about $1300. But in Cardinal Zen's case, the Communists may not be satisfied with a mere fine. The defendants were originally arrested for "collusion with foreign forces", for which they could be jailed for life!
The timing of the trial is bad for the NWR (New World Religion) forces at the Vatican, coming as it does when the Vatican Holy See's 2018 sellout to the Communists is up for renewal. Although he had retired from his position as Archbishop of Hong Kong, he was vocal in his condemnation of the deal by which Beijing's schismatic Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association took control all Catholics in China, including those in the "underground church" which remained loyal to Rome.
Further reading: "Vatican-China agreement 'terrible, terrible, terrible': Cardinal Zen", WWW 4/12/19, and "Cardinal Zen decries/Vatican defends sell-out of Chinese Catholics", WWW 3/3/20.
Just two years ago, Cardinal Zen flew to Rome in a desperate attempt to get Pope Bergoglio to reconsider his China deal. But a pope who always seems to have time for private audiences with celebrities -- including heretics, apostates and non-believers -- refused to meet a cardinal with long firsthand experience of the persecution of Christians by the Chinese Communists.
The architect of the still-secret deal with Beijing, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro "Peter the Roman" Parolin, professed his "closeness" to his fellow prelate, but then revealed his true priorities, saying, "The most concrete hope is that initiatives such as this one will not complicate the already complex and not simple path of dialogue."
Cardinal Gerhard Müller noted that no senior Vatican official had offered an expression of solidarity or a prayer initiative for Cardinal Zen at last month's gathering of cardinals in Rome. On a return flight from Kazakhstan last Thursday, Francis suggested this is no accident. When a reporter asked about Cardinal Zen, the pope offered not a word of support, noting only that the cardinal "says what he feels" despite knowing there are "limitations".
The Pachamamma pope wouldn't even go so far as to call China "undemocratic". One wonders what it would take for the Vatican to admit that the deal with the Commies was a mistake? (Don't ever expect to hear words like "sellout" or "betrayal".) If a show trial for a prince of the Church isn't enough, what would be? After his arrest, Cardinal Zen said, "Martyrdom is normal in our church. We may not have to do that, but we may have to bear some pain and steel ourselves for our loyalty to our faith."
Since His Church is doing nothing, let us pray that God will protect His faithful priest, and deliver all Chinese Christians from Communist oppression and persecution.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil; May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls. Amen.
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