After the judge presiding over the case tested positive for COVID-19, the criminal prosecution of Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong has been postponed, according to Hong Kong media.
In connection with his position as a trustee of a pro-democracy legal fund, which he and other trustees are accused of neglecting to register civilly, Zen, 90, was scheduled to go on trial starting on Monday. Zen is a former bishop of Hong Kong who has been a vocal supporter of democracy and religious freedom. He has also been a harsh opponent of the Vatican’s 2018 deal with Beijing on bishop appointments.
The trial, which was initially scheduled to start on September 19 and finish with a decision on September 23, has reportedly been delayed by at least two days as a result of Permanent Magistrate Ada Yim Shun-yee, the judge presiding over the case, contracting COVID-19. Zen has been out on bail since the beginning of May.
In addition to Zen, others accused of failing to submit an application for local society registration for the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund between July 16, 2019, and October 31, 2021 include attorney Margaret Ng, singer-activist Denise Ho, cultural studies scholar Hui Po-keung, activist Sze Ching-wee, and ex-legislator Cyd Ho.
All of the accused have entered a not guilty plea; Cyd Ho is already incarcerated for a separate offense. Up to its dissolution in October 2021, the fund assisted pro-democracy demonstrators with their legal expenses. The defense attorneys for the defendants contend that they were permitted to associate under Hong Kong’s Basic Law, which was established after Great Britain ceded control of Hong Kong to China in 1997.
It would seem that the defendants have not yet been charged with a crime under Hong Kong’s national security statute, which broadly defines “sedition” and “collusion with foreign forces” as crimes carrying even harsher punishments.
According to HKFP’s article from August, the trial would be held in Chinese with English-language closing arguments. According to Asia News, the offenders would only be subject to a $1,750 fine in the absence of a national security legislation charge.
The people of Hong Kong, a special administrative province of China with its own government, have traditionally had more religious freedom than those on the Chinese mainland, where the communist government regularly monitors and imposes restrictions on adherents of all faiths. But under the pretense of safeguarding national security, Beijing has recently tried to tighten supervision over religious rituals in Hong Kong.
One of several prominent Catholics to come under fire from the Chinese government in recent years for their support of pro-democracy initiatives is Zen, who served as the diocese’s leader in Hong Kong from 2002 to 2009. Media attention has been drawn to the detention of Catholic pro-democracy heavyweights including media magnate Jimmy Lai and attorney Martin Lee by Chinese authorities.
The Holy See is still working to extend the 2018 agreement between China and the Vatican for bishop appointments notwithstanding Zen’s trial. That agreement was made in order to bring together the 12 million Catholics in the nation who were split between the underground Church and the Communist-run Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. It also paved the way for the selection of bishops for Chinese dioceses. Despite the agreement, some claim that persecution of the underground Church has increased.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, secretary of state at the Vatican, recently told CNA that he has been working to modify some of the conditions of the agreement, however it is unclear which provisions may be changed since the arrangement is private and its specifics are not available to the general public.