Joseph Zen Ze-kiun,
SDB (, born 13 January 1932) is a
Chinese Catholic prelate who served as
Bishop of Hong Kong from 2002 to 2009. He was made a
cardinal
Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to
* Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds
**''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae
***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...
by
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
in 2006 and has been outspoken on issues regarding human rights,
political freedom
Political freedom (also known as political autonomy or political agency) is a central concept in history and political thought and one of the most important features of democratic societies.Hannah Arendt, "What is Freedom?", ''Between Past and ...
, and
religious liberty
Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...
. He is a member of the
Salesians of Don Bosco
The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in 1859 by the Italian priest John Bosco to help poor and migrant youth during the ...
.
Zen's strong ties with Hong Kong's
pro-democracy camp
The pro-democracy camp, also known as the pan-democracy camp, is a political alignment in Hong Kong that supports increased democracy, namely the universal suffrage of the Chief Executive and the Legislative Council as given by the Basic La ...
often attract criticism from the
pro-Beijing camp
The pro-Beijing camp, pro-establishment camp or pro-China camp is a political alignment in Hong Kong which generally supports the policies of the Government of the People's Republic of China, Beijing central government and the Chinese Commun ...
and the
government of China
The government of the People's Republic of China is based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's congresses. ...
. Zen retired on 15 April 2009, but remains a strong pro-democracy influence in Hong Kong. On 11 May 2022, he was arrested by the
National Security Police and later that day released on bail.
Life and career
Joseph Zen was born in
Shanghai
Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
to
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
parents, Vincent Zen and Margaret Tseu. He studied in a church school during the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...
, but was sent to an
abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
after his father suffered a stroke.
After entering the
Salesians
The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in 1859 by the Italian priest John Bosco to help poor and migrant youth during the ...
at the Hong Kong
novitiate
The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
in 1948,
he was
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
to the
priesthood on 11 February 1961
by Cardinal
Maurilio Fossati. Zen obtained a
licentiate in theology (1961) and a doctorate in philosophy (1964) from the
Salesian Pontifical University
The Salesian Pontifical University (; ) is a pontifical university in Italy run by the Salesians of Don Bosco. It has three campuses, one in Rome, one in Turin, and one in Jerusalem. The Salesian Pontifical University is an ordinary member of ...
in Rome. After 1973, he taught in the Holy Spirit Seminary College of Hong Kong – 1976 to 1978 of Macao Salesian School (
Instituto Salesiano) as principal. In 1978 he became the
Provincial Superior
A provincial superior is an officer of a religious institute (including religious orders) acting under the institute's Superior General. A provincial superior exercises general supervision over all the members of that institute in a territorial ...
of Salesians (which includes mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan), then resigned in 1983. He was a lecturer in the
seminaries
A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clerg ...
in China, centres of studies acknowledged by the Communist party, between 1989 and 1996. He was appointed the
coadjutor The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence.
These include:
* Coadjutor bishop ...
Bishop of Hong Kong in 1996 by
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
.
Retirement

On 18 September 2005, he told Hong Kong newspaper ''Apple Daily'' reporters that he was willing to retire in January 2007. He also said that he wanted to be a teacher in either mainland China or in Africa, as there was a shortage of teachers in Africa.
Democratic Party ex-chairman
Martin Lee
Martin Lee Chu-ming (; born 8 June 1938) is a Hong Kong politician and barrister. He is the founding chairman of the United Democrats of Hong Kong and its successor, the Democratic Party (Hong Kong), Democratic Party, Hong Kong's flagship Pr ...
, also a Roman Catholic, stated that because Zen was still healthy for his age, the Pope may request him to stay in his position. Legislative Council member
Audrey Eu praised Zen for being braver than other religious leaders in Hong Kong in sharing his political views and also because "he carried out his ideas of fairness, equitableness, and philanthropy via actual efforts". On the other hand, some conservatives inside the church speculated that the strained relationship between Beijing and the
Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
will become more relaxed if Zen retires. Nonetheless, Zen wrote a letter to the Pope on 13 January 2006 and stated that he did want to retire from his position, though not because of his age. On 15 April 2009, Pope Benedict accepted Zen's resignation and
John Tong Hon became the bishop of the
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
.
From 22 October 2011 for three days Zen went on
hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
which was undertaken as an act of protest against losing a long-standing legal battle with the Hong Kong government over how aided schools should be run. He later wrote about his experiences in an open letter.
Cardinalate
On 22 February 2006, the Vatican announced that Zen would be elevated to the
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...
by
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
in the
consistory
Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to:
*A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church
*Consistor ...
on 24 March 2006. Zen, who was created
Cardinal-Priest
A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...
of
Santa Maria Madre del Redentore a Tor Bella Monaca, saw his elevation as indication of how much the Pope values the Church in China. He was named a member of the
.
Zen's elevation was welcomed by Catholics in Hong Kong as it was seen as a recognition of his stance on social justice and as an honour for the church in Hong Kong. Vicar General
Dominic Chan Chi-ming said that it would be an honour to have a cardinal to once again head the diocese. Rev.
Louis Ha Ke-loon said it shows that the Pope feels that Zen should speak out. Democrat legislator Martin Lee added that it was good news because no matter whether he is a bishop or a cardinal, as a religious leader Zen speaks as moral voice of the people.
At the time of his elevation, Zen was the only Chinese cardinal eligible to participate in papal conclaves.
Zen offered a
Pontifical High Mass
A Pontifical High Mass, also called Solemn Pontifical Mass, is a Solemn Mass, Solemn or High Mass celebrated by a Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop using certain prescribed ceremonies. Although in modern English the word ''pontifical'' is al ...
in the
Tridentine Rite in May 2006, for which he was thanked by
traditionalist Catholic
Traditionalist Catholicism is a movement that emphasizes beliefs, practices, customs, traditions, liturgical forms, devotions and presentations of teaching associated with the Catholic Church before the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). ...
s around the world.
Pope Benedict XVI named Zen to write the meditations for the
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...
led by the Pope at the Roman
Colisseum on
Good Friday
Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...
, 21 March 2008.
In August 2023,Cardinal Brandmüller, along with Cardinals Burke,
Íñiguez,
Sarah
Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch, prophet, and major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pious woma ...
, and Zen, submitted another list of five ''
dubia'' to Pope Francis related to the upcoming
Synod on Synodality. The ''Dubia'' questioned the necessity of the upcoming synod, asked whether the blessing of same-sex unions was theologically admissible, and questioned the Pope's claim that "forgiveness is a human right".
Zen criticized some of Pope Francis' responses to the five dubia, saying that the Pope's guidance on the blessing of same-sex unions is "pastorally untenable."
Relations with the People's Republic of China
In October 2011, Zen said that he had received HK$20 million from Hong Kong tycoon
Jimmy Lai
Lai Chee-ying ( zh, t=黎智英; born 8 December 1947), also known as Jimmy Lai, is a Hong Kong businessman and politician. He founded Giordano (clothing), Giordano, an Asian clothing retailer, Next Digital (formerly Next Media), a Hong Kon ...
since 2005, which went to helping the underground Church and the poor on the mainland.
In 2014 Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun asked
Pope Francis
Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...
not to visit China, saying the pontiff would be “manipulated”. In an interview he told the Italian newspaper ''
Corriere della Sera
(; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...
'': “I would tell him now, ‘Don’t come, you would be manipulated'. The few courageous
atholicscould not meet
he Pope and the Communist Party would show him the illegitimate bishops, including the three excommunicated ones.” The comments came as ties between the Vatican and China improved in the early days of the pontificate of Francis, with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs congratulating Francis on his election.
Cardinal Zen said he did not see signs of dialogue happening between the Catholic Church and China. “Even if under these conditions Beijing was to extend a hand, it would be a trick under these circumstances,” he said. “Our poor bishops are slaves, the Communist Party denies them respect, tries to take away their dignity.”
In September 2014 as part of the
2014 Hong Kong protests
A series of sit-in street protests, often called the Umbrella Revolution and sometimes used interchangeably with Umbrella Movement, or Occupy Movement, occurred in Hong Kong from 26 September to 15 December 2014.
The protests began after th ...
, Cardinal Zen addressed the protesters saying "It's high time we really showed that we want to be free and not to be slaves. We must unite together". During his speech protesters were fired on with tear gas and he asked them to disperse.
In a 2018 interview, Cardinal Zen, on
Sino-Holy See relations, said “Pope Francis does not know the real Communist Party in China, but
Parolin should know. He was there
n the Secretariat of Stateso many years, so he must know. He may be happy to encourage the pope to be optimistic about the negotiations … but that’s dangerous. Pope Francis needs someone to calm him down from his enthusiasm.” Zen added that “It seems the Secretary of State wants to have a solution anyway. He is so optimistic. That’s dangerous. I told the pope that he
arolinhas a poisoned mind. He is very sweet, but I have no trust in this person. He believes in diplomacy, not in our faith.”
In 2019, Zen responded to Cardinal Filoni's weeklong trip to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau. Cardinal Filoni said that the provisional agreement between Beijing and the Holy See signed in 2018 “will be a very good thing for the Church in the future, and also for China.” Zen suggested that “One wonders: from which planet did our leaders in Rome descend?” Zen, the emeritus bishop of Hong Kong, responded on his blog on 5 March. Zen added that “The incredible thing is the invitation to trust the government! Is information on recent oppression measures missing from our superiors in the Vatican?” Zen later expressed a desire to tell Pope Francis that the pontiff's actions were "encouraging a schism" by "legitimizing the schismatic church in China."
During the
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests
The 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests (also known by other names) were a series of demonstrations against the Hong Kong government's introduction of a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance in regard to extradition. It was the largest ...
, Zen criticized Pope Francis after he was quoted as saying that he loved China and would like to visit and condemned his lack of stance against China.
On May 11, 2022, Hong Kong police arrested Zen and four others who helped run the disbanded 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund for protesters, all on the charge of "collusion with foreign forces". The others who were arrested were senior barrister
Margaret Ng, activist and pop singer
Denise Ho, former lawmaker
Cyd Ho, and former academic Hui Po-keung. Zen was held and questioned in
Chai Wan police station close to his church residence. Zen was released on bail and had his passport confiscated after interrogation.
After his initial arrest, the
Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
press office stated that they were concerned and following the situation closely.
Karine Jean-Pierre
Karine Jean-Pierre (born August 13, 1974) is an American political advisor who served as the White House Press Secretary, White House press secretary from May 2022 to January 2025, and a senior advisor to President Joe Biden from October 2024 t ...
called upon the PRC to immediately release Zen and the others arrested, and former U.S. Congressman
Dan Lipinski
Daniel William Lipinski (born July 15, 1966) is an American politician and political scientist who served eight terms as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Illinois's 3rd congressional district from 2005 to 2021. ...
attacked the Chinese government over the move. American bishops
Thomas Joseph Tobin and
Joseph Strickland both called for prayers for Zen's release. In the U.K., British minister
James Cleverly
Sir James Spencer Cleverly (born 4 September 1969) is a British politician and Army Reserve (United Kingdom), Army Reserve Commissioned officer, officer who served as Home Secretary from November 2023 to July 2024 and as Foreign Secretary (Unit ...
called the arrests unacceptable in a statement given before
Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
. Vatican's Secretary of State
Pietro Parolin
Pietro Parolin (, ; born 17 January 1955) is an Catholic Church in Italy, Italian Catholic prelate who has served as the Holy See, Vatican's Cardinal Secretary of State, Secretary of State since 2013, and has served as a member of the Council o ...
said the arrest of Zen should not be read as disavowal of Sino-Vatican agreement.
On 24 April 2025, following the
death of Pope Francis, Zen was allowed to leave Hong Kong to attend his funeral on 26 April.
Views
Advocacy for democracy
After he succeeded as Bishop of Hong Kong on 23 September 2002, he led the Diocese in voicing reservations about the proposed anti-subversion laws, required under
Article 23 of the Basic Law
Article 23 is an article of the Hong Kong Basic Law. It states that Hong Kong "shall enact laws on its own to prohibit any act of treason, secession, sedition, subversion against the Central People's Government, or theft of state secrets, to pr ...
. He was worried that these laws, if enacted without a thorough consultation process including a
white paper
A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...
, could easily lead to future violations of basic
civil rights.
On 1 July 2003, he took part in a prayer gathering at Victoria Park before the
1 July March began. Many Christians, including Catholics and those of other denominations, attended the demonstration.
Cardinal Zen attended the 4 June 2006 Prayer gathering in memory of the victims of the 1989 massacre. He asked the Chinese government to let the Chinese people freely discuss the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. In September 2023 he also attended the trial of pro-democracy media tycoon and founder of influential tabloid
Apple Daily
''Apple Daily'' ( zh, t=蘋果日報, j=ping4 gwo2 jat6 bou3) was a Chinese-language newspaper published in Hong Kong from 1995 to 2021. Founded by Jimmy Lai and part of Next Media, ''Apple Daily'' was known for its sensational headlines, ...
Jimmy Lai
Lai Chee-ying ( zh, t=黎智英; born 8 December 1947), also known as Jimmy Lai, is a Hong Kong businessman and politician. He founded Giordano (clothing), Giordano, an Asian clothing retailer, Next Digital (formerly Next Media), a Hong Kon ...
.
Education reform controversies
On 5 June 2005, Zen announced that if the Legislative Council passed a proposal to support the schools to create incorporated management committees on 8 July 2005, he would appeal against the decision to the court. The Education (Amendment) Bill 2002, once enacted, would likely play down the role of the Church in running Catholic schools and in promoting Catholic education. However, after the Government gave up some argued points in the motion, the Diocese decided to support the motion, though the Diocese later announced plans to prosecute the Government on 28 September 2005.
After two teachers committed suicide in early January 2006, Zen said that these acts must be due to the educational reforms and he asked the government to halt new reforms. Then Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower
Fanny Law rejected causal connections, but provoked furor among teachers and the public when she questioned why only two teachers committed suicide because of the reforms.
She apologised for her "inappropriate" remarks on 10 January.
Tridentine Mass
In 2021, Zen criticized Pope Francis's
motu proprio
In law, (Latin for 'on his own impulse') describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term for the same concept.
In Catholic canon law, it refers to a document issued by the pope on h ...
''
Traditionis custodes'', stating that "Many tendentious generalizations in the documents
f the motu propriohave hurt the hearts of many good people more than expected." He added that he believed that many people who had been hurt by the restrictions "have never given the smallest reason to be suspected of not accepting the
liturgical reform of the ">econd Vatican Council"
WTO affairs
On 18 December 2005, Zen visited protesters at the
2005 WTO Ministerial Conference and tried to visit the detained South Korean Catholics, including two priests and a nun. He criticised the Hong Kong police for their treatment of the protesters. About one month later, several unions in
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong.
Pursuant to the one c ...
decided to write a letter to the Pope to complain about Zen's speech. Zen replied that some policemen were "sycophantic to the senior officers inside the police force".
Bibliography
* ''Way of the Cross with Pope Benedict XVI'' (2009)
* ''L'agnello e il dragone: Dialoghi su Cina e Cristianesimo (2016)'' ''- "The lamb and the dragon: Dialogues on China and Christianity"''
* 為了熙雍,我決不緘默 (2018) - "For Zion, I will not remain silent"
*''For Love of My People I Will Not Remain Silent: On the Situation of the Church in China'' (2019). San Francisco:
Ignatius Press
Ignatius Press is a Catholic theological publishing house based in San Francisco, California, in the United States.
It was founded in 1978 by Father Joseph Fessio, a former pupil of both Henri de Lubac and Pope Benedict XVI. Named after Ignatiu ...
.
* ''Cardinal Zen's Lenten Reflections'' (2024). Bedford, NH: Sophia Institute Press.
See also
*
Roman Catholicism in Hong Kong
References
External links
*
Cheng, Jonathan. "Hong Kong Cardinal's Departure Could Boost Beijing-Vatican Ties," Wall Street Journal. 24 December 2008.*
Bishop Zen supports referendum for full democracyPress Interview with Joseph Zen'Conscience of HK' Ordained CardinalPolice send letter to Pope complaining about Bishop Zen who makes light of itZenit News Agency about Cardinal Zen's meditations for the Papal Way of the CrossJoseph Zen's Facebook Page (Chinese)Joseph Zen's Blog (Chinese)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Zen, Joseph
20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Hong Kong
21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in Hong Kong
1932 births
Roman Catholic bishops of Hong Kong
Chinese cardinals
Chinese democracy activists
Living people
Clergy from Shanghai
People with acquired permanent residency of Hong Kong
Salesians of Don Bosco
Salesian cardinals
Hong Kong democracy activists
Cardinals created by Pope Benedict XVI
Chinese Civil War refugees
Salesian Pontifical University alumni