The Center for Human Rights at the Catholic University of America has recently published an op-ed by Chen Guangcheng commemorating the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. To view this article, check the link in the description or go to humanrights.catholic.edu.
William Saunders: How was he treated when he returned?
Dr. Eric Lai: You know there was no clue for Cardinal Zen…what Cardinal Zen did or what he received after he returned to Hong Kong. But it was quite clear that after he returned to Hong Kong, he could concelebrate in many diocesan celebrations, including the Eucharist, celebrating the elections of Pope Leo XIV as well as other votive Masses commemorating the Church with intentions for the well being of the Church in China.
So in a way Cardinal Zen can still do his ministry at his appropriate conditions, and there’s no signs that he’s suffering from further harassment or further intimidation.
W: Well how do you expect the situation to develop in Hong Kong for religious freedom?
E: In the past few years, we have seen there are many good analyses on the state of religious freedom in Hong Kong, including the reports from Hong Kong Watch and the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation. And there were also many discussions on whether religious freedom in Hong Kong has been at stake.
I guess this is also related to the whole… is also related to the trend of how the government enforces the national security laws in Hong Kong today. There were, on top of the 2020 National Security Law, there were new legislations on national security that further enhance the government power to censor any part of the city.
At the same time, religious freedom can be seen as at risk, not because of the government trying to prohibit any public worship indiscriminately, but it can be found in religious schools, in public schools run by religious groups, including the Church, that there is obviously sinicization, patriotic education, has taken effect on religious education.
On the one hand the government, and some government sympathizers, would argue that the Church should be more proactive to enculturate the Chinese culture into religious education including Bible classes, including religious classes in Catholic schools. But at the same time, this enculturation is highly overwhelmed by the party ideology on patriotism, on safeguarding national security, on values that only sustain the regime rather than promoting democratic citizenship.
So in this sense, I would say religious freedom is still a hot topic for people to be attentive to. But at the same time we need to… we can also be confident that there are many people in Hong Kong, many clergy, many lay people, that are still finding ways to sustain their way of religious life.
W: So he is a hero to many people for his continued stand for religious freedom and human rights in Hong Kong and he’s a shepherd for his people there in Hong Kong itself.
E: Right. If we compare with the situations in the 1950s when the Chinese Communist Party took over mainland China, there were many religious men and women, priests, bishops, clergy; they also faced a similar dilemma when they were facing purges from the Communist Party.
Should they stay to witness their faith or should they relocate to other places to continue their ministries? Of course, from a theological standpoint it is really about what is the call of the Holy Spirit, or the call from God. And in this sense, Cardinal Zen properly made decisions and, whatever people from the outside see, his decision or weigh his decisions, I guess the best way is to stand in solidarity with him and many, many Catholics in Hong Kong in order to protect their own way of life, protecting their fundamental rights and solidarity. Unity is of utmost importance nowadays.
W: So we should pray for them and we should help them however we can. Thank you for being with us, Eric. Is there anything you’d like to add before we end the episode?
E: I must say thank you to you, William, and to everyone who is still paying attention to the state of human rights and freedoms in Hong Kong. Jimmy Lai’s trial will continue in August, and there are still many other political trials upcoming in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Alliance trial that, the leaders of the alliance who have been organizing the Tenements massacre, commemoration in Fiji for many years will face, probably, sentencing for life in jail.
And we shall continue to pay attention to support these human rights defenders and, needless to say, Cardinal Zen. Cardinal Zen is still under police bail for his allegations of violating the National Security Law, and the government up to now – for more than three years – they are still reluctant to drop his allegations.
So this is something we shall continue to pay attention [to], and we should continue to pray for the strength and for the well being of the Church in Hong Kong.
W: Great. Thank you Eric. And thank you to the listeners and viewers of this episode of the Barefoot Lawyer podcast. We’ll see you the next time on the next episode of the Barefoot Lawyer. Be sure and visit our website, humanrights.catholic.edu.
The Catholic University of America’s Center for Human Rights has published a documentary on the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The documentary features world class human rights experts, from former State Department officials to ambassadors and human rights activists. It can be found on our website at humanrights.catholic.edu.