Mob threat in Italy imperils the Church and the Vatican too
- Jan 17, 2021
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun has said that while he will remain prudent, he is prepared to suffer arrest and trials under Hong Kong’s sweeping new national security law.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, archbishop emeritus of Hong Kong, has said a new security law puts the city’s autonomy at risk, and condemned the Vatican’s silence on the issue as political pandering with disregard to the faith.
Italian Father Franco Mella, a member of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions, offers a reminder that while at a distance what may stand out is the black and white, up close it’s usually the shades of gray.
After two top prelates recently butted heads over the legitimacy of the Vatican’s 2018 agreement with China on the appointment of bishops, one expert on Chinese affairs stepped in insisting that the deal was not only good, but a product of more than 30 years of Vatican diplomacy.
In a new letter, retired Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen says Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin is “manipulating” Pope Francis on the issue of China.
Rome’s conviction is that not only will Chinese believers benefit over time from being able to organize routine pastoral life out in the open, but the Vatican may be able to gradually draw China into a more constructive role among the community of nations.