The news shocked the whole Catholic world today -- decades after the arrests of Cardinals by Communist regimes, a situation all thought would remain in the past, the 90-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong and a huge friend of the Traditional Mass, was arrested today by the Communists currently yielding power in the former British colony. We tweeted it as soon as it became public, about 4 hours ago:
Cardinal Zen has been arrested!?...
— Rorate Caeli (@RorateCaeli) May 11, 2022
Please, pray for one of the greatest Cardinals, @CardJosephZen... https://t.co/AdtUAvCs0s
The excuse was some ridiculous accusation regarding a foundation, the "612 Humanitarian Relief Fund", established basically to pay legal fees of protesters detained by the Xi Jinping regime in protests for freedom in the city.
So far, unsurprisingly, the Vatican has said nothing. As usual, Francis is strong with the weak, and weak with the strong.
Please, keep this nonagenarian holy man in your prayers!
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[Update] Cardinal Zen was released from custody for the moment, before midnight local time:
Cardinal Joseph Zen was released on bail from Chai Wan Police Station at around 11 pm on Wednesday. He did not speak. He then entered a private car parked outside the police station. The 90-year-old was accompanied by five people when he left the police station. pic.twitter.com/s21AJ0Th0A
— Hong Kong Free Press HKFP (@hkfp) May 11, 2022