RSSHONG KONG (UCAN) — Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, retired bishop of Hong Kong, says criticism of his role in interpreting the 2007 papal letter to Catholics in China was “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 the compendium 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.
Cardinal Zen said he admired Bishop An personally.
“I personally have great respect for the bishop. He has borne great suffering for his faith,” he 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.
Bishop An has been misled by what “seems to be the normal” life of the government-approved Church community, said the cardinal. Yet, the Pope’s letter has said that a Church that is independent of the Holy See is incompatible with Catholic doctrine, he noted.
CH08724.1587 February 4, 2010 47 EM-lines (421 words)
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