Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong and 93-year-old anti-Communist hero, recently spoke about the importance of the Catholic Church upholding Her identity.
In an Oct. 1 X post auto-translated by Grok, Cardinal Zen explained that he recently saw an advertisement for a talk about Pope Leo XIV and China-Vatican relations, hosted by the Holy Spirit Centre, a research institute of the Diocese of Hong Kong. Protestant Pastor Chan Kim Kwong was scheduled to speak.
Cardinal Zen said he also read a historical work written by Pastor Chan, who has extensively studied about the Chinese Communist Party’s policies and various religions’ responses — especially the Catholic Church’s — to the policies over time.
教會和政權共舞？
— Joseph Zen (@CardJosephZen) October 2, 2025
日前見到廣告，聖神研究中心請了一位陳劍光牧師來為天主教徒做一個講座，題目是「教宗良十四與中梵關係」。…
The Pastor’s work implicitly endorses a principle that “under the dominance of the great Communist government, religions that ‘go with the flow’ naturally thrive — those that cooperate well see an increase in followers and flourishing religious affairs,” Cardinal Zen wrote.
“By this standard,” he continued, “over the past decade or so, the Catholic Church can be said to have cooperated well with the Chinese Communist Party’s religious policies (with an agreement in place, all bishops in the official church nationwide are now legitimate). Thus, under the current circumstances, this cooperation of the past decade should continue further.”
The cardinal then provided an account of the current situation, explaining that the diocese has had opportunities to serve people arriving from the mainland and Southeast Asia, which is a Church-provided role both the Hong Kong and central governments will appreciate.
He also said the diocese has maintained communication with underground and official churches in the mainland, and noted that there have been more conversations about Sinicization lately with the official church. Cardinal Zen’s message comes days after General Secretary Xi Jinping, in a Sept. 29 address about Sinicization, called for further steps to make religions in China conform to socialist society. The cardinal also wrote that the Church in mainland China faces the issue of unifying the official and underground churches, noting that Hong Kong Diocese can serve as an impartial peacemaker.
Cardinal Zen said that Pastor Chan’s implied principle and expectations going forward indicate that he does not comprehend the major differences between Catholicism and Protestantism.
“The Catholic Church firmly believes that only by remaining true to our essence can we make a genuine contribution to the nation,” Cardinal Zen wrote.
“Until we can help the regime understand this point,” he continued, pointing to Jinping’s Sept. 29 address, “even with the promise of ‘One Country, Two Systems,’ we can, at best, offer some passive cooperation (in fact, this cooperation and honest communication between the Church and local officials can already alleviate unnecessary concerns from the authorities, demonstrating that the Church contributes to social stability and national prosperity).”
“When cooperation is not possible,” the cardinal concluded, “the Church can only languish underground or respond to God’s call by bearing witness through martyrdom.”
Cardinal Zen signed his message on the 25th anniversary of the Canonization of China’s 120 Martyrs, Oct. 1.