Published Date: February 5, 2010

Tags: Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun

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Retired Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun says criticism of his role in interpreting Pope Benedict’s 2007 papal letter to Catholics in China is “unfair” and “groundless”.

The Italian Catholic magazine “30 Giorni” (30 Days) criticized the cardinal’s role which it described as looking “out beyond the ordinary and self-inspired”.

The article defended the decision of Coadjutor Bishop Francis An Shuxin of Baoding, a former underground bishop, to join the government-sanctioned Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA).

Cardinal Zen told UCA News today [Feb. 4] that the article carried a lot of negative implications about him but no evidence he had done anything wrong. The article implied he had said the Pope’s letter lacked clarity.

“I have never said that,” the 78–year-old cardinal stressed.

“What I did say was the Pope’s letter has been very clear and that I couldn’t understand why some people have misinterpreted it, saying that there is no reason for an underground Church community to continue existing in China,” he said.

This misinterpretation was later pointed out and corrected two years later in thecompendium to the Pope’s letter [footnote No. 2 and 5] published in May 2009, the prelate said.

In a guide to the Pope’s letter, published by Cardinal Zen in November, the cardinal said the document was not meant to clarify anything in the way of what the compendium has done.

The cardinal said his “guide” was “a supplement written according to my understanding on some questions raised by the fraternal brothers in mainland China.”

Cardinal Zen also said the magazine was unfair in its accusation that he opposed what the Pope had said on reconciliation between the underground and government-approved Church communities.

“I absolutely support reconciliation. However, since the government policy has not changed, I fear a unification in the structure could be done in a hurry without following the principles that the Pope has laid down,” he explained.

“I personally have great respect for [Bishop An]. He has borne great suffering for his faith,” Cardinal Zen said.

However, “respecting him does not mean we have to accept all his judgments. They are separate matters,” the cardinal said with reference to the bishop’s joining the CPA last July.

SOURCE

Zen says magazine’s criticism groundless (UCA News)

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