If the Argentinian was for "truth & justice", he would immediately label Zen a modern day Cardinal Mindszenty which he truly is. I believe the Sino authorities checked with the Vatican first. This portends badly for Catholic Taiwan. You have to analyze every geopolitical maneuver today in light of a chess piece being moved to create a one world socialist government.
"...the Holy See’s Secretariat of State has previously said it would not speak out about the crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong because it did not see the point in doing so. ..." I recall that JPII's trip to Poland started the unraveling of the Communist government there.
This is indeed distressing. I hope that Cardinal Zen's ordeal along with the others arrested, seemingly as a signal from the government that "no one is hidden from our sight or beyond our power", is over soon and resolved favorably. Regarding the Vatican-China agreement, I wonder if those who extended it hoping for "a measure of stability" are now reassessing how big that measure is, and who gets the stability.
If they aren’t reassessing it based on this arrest , one wonders what it would actually take to re-assess it. My view is that it should have been re-assessed already based on a number of self-evident facts on the ground as reported by a variety of credible people who are actually on the ground.
The Church might wish to declare Cardinal Zen, and those like him in Hong Kong, Living Martyrs and formally excommunicate any Catholics who take part in any action deemed to substantially restrict his ability to exercise the Church's mission. Publish this in a Vatican newspaper as notice to the Chinese government.
I suspect that there are sighs of relief in the Vatican that this tiresome fellow will now be shut up.
Pope Francis's refusal to give an audience to Cardinal Zen surely gave a signal to the Chinese government that the Cardinal was of no account to the Church and could be arrested. It reminds me of Obama's threat to impose sanctions on Ukraine in February 2014 if the Ukraine did not accept a deal with the Russians supported by France and Germany. The deal never took off with the pro-Russian president Vlaimer Yanukovych fleeing to Russia never to return. The Russians took this as a signal that they could take the Crimea and invade the Donbas with impunity.
"I think, many of my colleagues — have yet to be convinced that it would make any difference whatever.”
This is a shameful lie and the silence from the Vatican is appalling and infuriating. This baseless claim maybe appropriate for a secular diplomat but certainly inappropriate for one who is a successor to the Apostles. Imagine Peter and John remaining silent before the Sanhedrin because it wouldn't "make any difference whatever" and you'll see where I am coming from. It is also clear that their silence has not earned them any credibility or cachet in Beijing. It is also clear that the CCP has no intention of abiding by the "agreement" anyway. What is the point of continued silence? If the Holy Father and the Secretariat will not speak on behalf of these Catholics suffering for their faith, who will? I am willing to bet that Cardinal Zen will not even get a nice letter like Fr. James Martin. What does that say about this pontificate?
It is a truly noxious quotation. The idea of just speaking the truth and invoking God's protection should be easy enough for an archbishop. Especially as I get the feeling Cardinal Zen doesn't fear those who can only kill the body.
It'd be imprudent for the Church to be reckless when millions of lives are at stake. Pope Pius XII had to make similar hard decisions dealing with the Nazi's and staying quiet on the Jews. We know that China is no less vengeful and murderous than the Nazi's in their treatment of undesirable minorities.
This is not a shameful lie. He’s not wrong. The CCP is not particularly interested in relations with the Holy See and does so because it suits them to score a few brownie points elsewhere. The CCP will only need the slightest sign of criticism from the Pope or the Holy See to use as an excuse to round up every Catholic in China and subject them to the Uigher treatment. They will bulldoze every church, hospital, school and shrine that has ever been associated with Catholicism. This would be bad.
The Holy See is caught between a rock and a hard place against a power who has no moral compass other than its own survival. Sacrificing 1% of its population to rid itself of a troublesome and seditious ‘sect’ is not a big deal for the CCP. This would be bad. Worse than what is happening now.
The China deal is the biggest blemish on Pope Francis’s reign. The fact that he signed that deal and gave legitimacy to China’s organ donation program was awful. He is way too much of an appeaser and it is going to harm Catholics worldwide. I wish the Holy Father would stand up to China.
If the Argentinian was for "truth & justice", he would immediately label Zen a modern day Cardinal Mindszenty which he truly is. I believe the Sino authorities checked with the Vatican first. This portends badly for Catholic Taiwan. You have to analyze every geopolitical maneuver today in light of a chess piece being moved to create a one world socialist government.
"...the Holy See’s Secretariat of State has previously said it would not speak out about the crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong because it did not see the point in doing so. ..." I recall that JPII's trip to Poland started the unraveling of the Communist government there.
Yes, but China has learned from that experience. The pope will set foot in China of Xi’s dead body.
This is indeed distressing. I hope that Cardinal Zen's ordeal along with the others arrested, seemingly as a signal from the government that "no one is hidden from our sight or beyond our power", is over soon and resolved favorably. Regarding the Vatican-China agreement, I wonder if those who extended it hoping for "a measure of stability" are now reassessing how big that measure is, and who gets the stability.
If they aren’t reassessing it based on this arrest , one wonders what it would actually take to re-assess it. My view is that it should have been re-assessed already based on a number of self-evident facts on the ground as reported by a variety of credible people who are actually on the ground.
The Church might wish to declare Cardinal Zen, and those like him in Hong Kong, Living Martyrs and formally excommunicate any Catholics who take part in any action deemed to substantially restrict his ability to exercise the Church's mission. Publish this in a Vatican newspaper as notice to the Chinese government.
I suspect that there are sighs of relief in the Vatican that this tiresome fellow will now be shut up.
Pope Francis's refusal to give an audience to Cardinal Zen surely gave a signal to the Chinese government that the Cardinal was of no account to the Church and could be arrested. It reminds me of Obama's threat to impose sanctions on Ukraine in February 2014 if the Ukraine did not accept a deal with the Russians supported by France and Germany. The deal never took off with the pro-Russian president Vlaimer Yanukovych fleeing to Russia never to return. The Russians took this as a signal that they could take the Crimea and invade the Donbas with impunity.
"I think, many of my colleagues — have yet to be convinced that it would make any difference whatever.”
This is a shameful lie and the silence from the Vatican is appalling and infuriating. This baseless claim maybe appropriate for a secular diplomat but certainly inappropriate for one who is a successor to the Apostles. Imagine Peter and John remaining silent before the Sanhedrin because it wouldn't "make any difference whatever" and you'll see where I am coming from. It is also clear that their silence has not earned them any credibility or cachet in Beijing. It is also clear that the CCP has no intention of abiding by the "agreement" anyway. What is the point of continued silence? If the Holy Father and the Secretariat will not speak on behalf of these Catholics suffering for their faith, who will? I am willing to bet that Cardinal Zen will not even get a nice letter like Fr. James Martin. What does that say about this pontificate?
It is a truly noxious quotation. The idea of just speaking the truth and invoking God's protection should be easy enough for an archbishop. Especially as I get the feeling Cardinal Zen doesn't fear those who can only kill the body.
It'd be imprudent for the Church to be reckless when millions of lives are at stake. Pope Pius XII had to make similar hard decisions dealing with the Nazi's and staying quiet on the Jews. We know that China is no less vengeful and murderous than the Nazi's in their treatment of undesirable minorities.
This is not a shameful lie. He’s not wrong. The CCP is not particularly interested in relations with the Holy See and does so because it suits them to score a few brownie points elsewhere. The CCP will only need the slightest sign of criticism from the Pope or the Holy See to use as an excuse to round up every Catholic in China and subject them to the Uigher treatment. They will bulldoze every church, hospital, school and shrine that has ever been associated with Catholicism. This would be bad.
The Holy See is caught between a rock and a hard place against a power who has no moral compass other than its own survival. Sacrificing 1% of its population to rid itself of a troublesome and seditious ‘sect’ is not a big deal for the CCP. This would be bad. Worse than what is happening now.
“Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered: and let them that hate him flee from before his face.”
The China deal is the biggest blemish on Pope Francis’s reign. The fact that he signed that deal and gave legitimacy to China’s organ donation program was awful. He is way too much of an appeaser and it is going to harm Catholics worldwide. I wish the Holy Father would stand up to China.