Hong Kong cardinal criticizes Vatican for 'unwise' deal with China after arrest

Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong used his first public remarks after his arrest earlier this month to criticize how the Vatican decided to recognize Chinese bishops appointed by the Chinese Communist Party.

Zen, the 90-year-old former Bishop of Hong Kong, has been the most vocal critic of a 2018 agreement between the Holy See and Beijing, criticizing it as enabling the communist government’s crackdown on religion.

"The Vatican may have acted out of good faith, but they have made an unwise decision," Zen said Tuesday at a small service in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

Zen and four others active in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement were arrested on May 11 under the country’s controversial National Security Law over their work with the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which fielded international donations for the legal defense of Hong Kong protesters. He was on bail later that after being questioned by authorities.

The move was internationally criticized by governments and humans rights groups.

Benedict Rogers, founder of Hong Kong Watch, said then on Twitter: “Today’s arrests signal beyond a doubt that Beijing intends to intensify its crackdown on basic rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.”

The Vatican said that it is following developments with “extreme attention.”

Zen pleaded not guilty to one charge of “collusion with foreign forces” in a brief court hearing earlier Tuesday.

At the service, he also prayed for "brothers and sisters who cannot attend the mass in any form tonight - for they have no freedom now," reports Reuters.

Under communism, Chinese Catholics are split between an underground church that swears loyalty to the Vatican and the state-sponsored Catholic Patriotic Association.