Thursday, December 11, 2008

Cardinal Zen of China: 'We have to use this freedom to speak out’

You don't hear of many governments, let alone individuals, standing up to China's Communist regime these days.

The country's new-found prosperity and its important global trading position have meant its appalling human rights record and other social violations are often conveniently pushed aside.

But Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kuin, the Bishop of Hong Kong, has never let up in his criticisms.

Indeed, as he heads towards his 80s, he sees it as his duty to devote more of his time and energy to being a thorn in the Red Dragon's side.

"In conscience you have to do it," he says, "so I do it with a peaceful conscience."

Born in Shanghai in 1932 to devoutly Catholic parents, Joseph Zen joined the Hong Kong Salesians in the late 1940s and so was spared the horrific persecutions of Mao's Cultural Revolution. He has stayed on the peninsula ever since, and increasingly used the territory as a kind of soapbox from which to berate his intransigent neighbour.

He's free to do so because Hong Kong has a greater degree of autonomy with respect to the mainland (even after the 1997 handover) and the cardinal is well aware of the privilege. "We have to use this freedom to speak out, not only for ourselves in Hong Kong, but also for the Church in China," he says, adding with a slightly mischievous smile: "And that, certainly, displeases the regime."

Cardinal Zen himself is a humble, gracious and diminutive figure, somewhat at odds with his public persona as a bold and fearless man willing to take on the Communist state. If China is Goliath, Cardinal Zen is most certainly David.

In our interview he bats away questions in staccato fashion which, were it not for his warm smile, frequent laughter and obvious patience, would make you think he were permanently irritated. And of course, when it comes to China, he often is. From Cardinal Zen's point of view Beijing is failing to tackle those issues of most concern to his countrymen: namely lack of religious and political freedom and human rights. Even the Olympic Games were a let-down - a time, he says, when restrictions on Catholics were tightened.

"I'm sorry to say we see no change at all," he laments. "They succeeded in making a very good show of the Olympic Games. They got a lot of medals and that was very good and we are happy that nothing happened, but we don't see any benefit in terms of religious freedom, or even little steps in the direction of more democracy."

Does he fear that, now the world's spotlight is no longer on Beijing, abuses will return? "That fear may be justified," he replied, "but we hope it may not be realised because the highest authorities seem to have some intention of improvement. So let's hope. We still try to be optimistic."

Around 12 million Catholics are thought to live in China, seven million more than the government estimates. Many of them worship "underground" as the Catholic Church is officially banned in the country and only the Chinese Patriotic Association, the state-run Catholic Church, is officially allowed under the country's constitution.

The situation has led to years of jailings and abuse of many underground Catholics, particularly clergy, and, despite some news to the contrary, the arrests are continuing. "There are no more and no less," reports Cardinal Zen. "It's just as usual, and that's bad enough."

The Holy See has had little choice but to handle China with kid gloves, conducting diplomacy with Beijing with great sensitivity and well out of the public eye (China forced the Vatican to cut diplomatic ties with Beijing in 1951).

Some detected those efforts were beginning to bear fruit when, shortly before the Games, members of the Patriotic Association spoke of extending an invitation to Pope Benedict XVI to visit the country.

But Cardinal Zen brushes the gesture aside as of little consequence and is, in any case, opposed to such a trip because there are no real conditions for any improvement. "The visit of the Pope would simply be manipulated, as they do with all the visits of the cardinals," he warns. "I'm discouraging all the cardinals from going to China."

Indeed, it's easy to become discouraged listening to the cardinal. He sees the outcome of the American elections as having minimal impact on human rights. He opposes sanctions on the grounds that it ends up harming the people more than the government and he is, anyway, pessimistic about the effectiveness of international pressure.

Most western powers, he argues, "are more interested in doing business with China." And only in the unlikely event of all nations clubbing together to exert pressure on Beijing would the regime sit up and take notice, he believes.

He is also sure the current financial crisis is unlikely to help the cause for greater freedom.

Unemployment is rising and protests, already high in number in recent years, are spreading. It's feared that greater instability will simply prompt the government to crack down further on dissent.

He says grounds for optimism would be if the ruling Communist Party were the first to show signs of democracy, but he has seen no evidence of that so far. "Everything comes from our authorities," he says. He adds that there can be good intentions at the highest levels, but often the lower ranks are concerned about their own interests. "They want to disrupt any change, any improvement."

But Cardinal Zen is not without hope. Answers, he believes, lie not with Beijing but with ordinary people in and outside China. "We don't expect much from governments, they have to mind their own business [but] we expect much from the people," he says. "If the people are concerned and understand, they can create good things and, if they are believers, they will pray for us and that is very important."

Communicating to others what is at stake for the Church in China - whether to the Chinese, the international community, and in particular to the Holy See - is how Cardinal Zen sees his primary role. So much so that he has made it clear to the Holy Father that he would like to step down as Bishop of Hong Kong to concentrate more on this task (something the Pope has so far refused).

But even if he has not yet been given that freedom, he vows, no doubt much to Beijing's annoyance, to continue speaking out. "I think it's our duty because criticism can be very constructive," he says.

"It's very important, in a modern society, to see the defects and so be able to improve."If you want to keep everybody quiet," Cardinal Zen says, "then it's no good for society."
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(Source: CO)