Hong Kong authorities granted 93-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen permission to travel to Vatican City for Pope Francis’ funeral, marking a rare concession for the outspoken cleric, according to AP News.
Zen’s passport had been confiscated following his 2022 arrest under Hong Kong’s national security law. A retired bishop and vocal critic of the Vatican’s dealings with Beijing departed on Wednesday night after securing court approval to retrieve his travel documents, his secretary confirmed.
Zen has repeatedly condemned the Vatican’s 2018 agreement with China on bishop appointments, accusing it of abandoning underground Catholics loyal to Rome. His sharp criticism extends to Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, a major papal contender whom Zen has derided as a “man of little faith” for his diplomatic outreach to Beijing.
The cardinal’s latest journey mirrors his 2023 trip to attend Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s funeral, during which he privately met Francis. While Zen faces no active national security charges, his 2022 arrest—linked to an unregistered legal aid fund for 2019 protest detainees—highlighted his precarious position.
Zen’s travel approval coincides with Hong Kong Cardinal Stephen Chow’s planned attendance at the papal conclave, underscoring the city’s complex role in Vatican-China relations. Chow notably hosted a Beijing-backed archbishop in 2023—a historic visit analysts saw as bolstering fragile ties between Rome and China’s state-sanctioned Catholic community.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, now ineligible to vote in the conclave due to age, is set to to return after the funeral.
