(LifeSiteNews) — Cardinal Joseph Zen, the 93-year-old bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, responded to an article by a Chinese priest who accused those, like Zen, critical of the latest mainland China episcopal appointment of displaying “stupidity,” “malice,” or a “distorted personality.”
In his article celebrating Bishop Zhang Weizhu’s retirement from the Diocese of Xinxiang and Bishop Li Jianlin’s consecration, Father Han Qingping accused Zen in thinly veiled terms:
If someone’ simply because the script doesn’t unfold according to their own expectations, then ‘either denies or even resorts to rumor-mongering and slander’ (of the aforementioned beautiful scene)…… this is purely a manifestation of being either ‘not stupid’ but ‘evil’ or ‘personality disorder’—just like a certain cardinal……
“This struck a nerve with me,” Cardinal Zen replied via his personal blog, published in English on X. “I don’t admit to being a ‘bad person’ or having a ‘personality disorder,’ but I am indeed ‘stupid’ enough to ‘take it personally.’”
“To vent his resentment toward this evil cardinal, Fr. Han suddenly veers off topic in the final paragraph to talk about that so-called synod on ‘Synodality,’” His Eminence noted.
“What I called ‘Church suicide behavior’ does not refer to the entire so-called synod, nor to the whole issue of ‘Synodality’; it only refers to ‘implementing the so-called execution phase of the Synod based on that so-called Conclusion Document,” Zen explained.
Zen averred that implementation of the final document risks the Church giving rise to disunity.
“The synod’s general secretary and its Relator both admit that different dioceses can have very different understandings of that document (from enthusiastic support to strong opposition); according to these different understandings, different regions will have different ‘trials,’” Zen wrote.
“In the end, hasn’t our Church accepted the same kind of ‘diversity’ as the Anglican Communion?” asked Zen, warning that the Roman Catholic Church could soon face a similar disastrous future:
As a result, the Church of England only retains about ten percent of the global Anglican believers; the remaining eighty-plus percent have split off to form the Global Anglican Future Conference, no longer accepting the spiritual leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury!”
Pope Francis left behind “chaos and division,” Zen wrote in a November blog post. “Our greatest hope is that Pope Leo will unite the Church on the foundation of truth, rallying us all to the mission of evangelization. We must offer our prayers and sacrifices for Pope Leo.”
Zen has not been shy about sharing concerns about the synodal process. After Francis’ death, His Eminence warned electors ahead of the conclave that the Church faces a “matter of life and death” as she grapples with it. In a commentary published in February 2024, His Eminence said it was his hope that “this Synod on ‘Synodality’ can be successfully concluded.”
For many years, Zen has rebuked the Vatican for its appeasement of the Chinese Communist Party regarding the appointment of bishops. At the same time, he concluded his post by noting that he is devoted to the Chair of St. Peter.
“My criticism of certain papal actions stems precisely from my deep reverence for the Pope,” he stated, citing several Gospel verses, including Matthew 14 and Luke 22, that reference the time St. Peter – who was not pope yet – doubted Our Lord while walking on the water and when Christ told him he would deny him three times, respectively.
In October, Cardinal Zen denounced the LGBT pilgrimage inside St. Peter’s Basilica. “The Vatican knew of this event beforehand yet issued no condemnation afterward. We find this truly incomprehensible!” he exclaimed while calling for reparations of prayer and fasting to be made.
