Cardinal Joseph Zen

Missionary says ‘one nation, two systems’ sets up Hong Kong for a fall
- Jun 1, 2020
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.

By Crux Staff
Vatican-China deal conceived under JPII, expert says
- Mar 4, 2020
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.

By Elise Ann Allen
Cardinal Zen says Pope Francis being ‘manipulated’ on China
- Mar 2, 2020
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.

By Crux Staff

With the Vatican and China, soft and hard powers collide
- Feb 16, 2020
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.

By John L. Allen Jr.

Zen awarded US pro-democracy prize as Vatican steps closer to China
- Feb 15, 2020
Several days after Chinese Cardinal Joseph Zen, an outspoken critic of the Vatican’s approach to China, received a prize from the U.S. government for defending democracy in communist China, the Vatican’s foreign minister had an historic meeting with his Chinese counterpart.

By Elise Ann Allen
Catholics split, Vatican largely mum on Hong Kong protests
- Dec 9, 2019
As protests continue to unravel in Hong Kong, the Vatican has maintained its silence and Catholics appear split about what exactly their role is and just how political they ought to be.

By Elise Harris
Top Catholic leaders in Hong Kong have backed street protesters
- Dec 4, 2019
Catholic leaders in Hong Kong have widely supported nearly seven months of anti-government protests, except when they turned violent.

By Michael Sainsbury
Retired Chinese cardinal blasts ‘disastrous’ rapport with Vatican
- Dec 4, 2019
Cardinal Joseph Zen, a vocal opponent of Pope Francis’s approach to China, in a new interview has called his contact with the Vatican in his time as a cardinal “disastrous,” particularly on the issue of engagement with Beijing, and criticized two former top Vatican officials.

By Elise Harris