Cardinal Zen in hospital for respiratory problems

His conditions worsened when he returned from a visit to the Vatican for the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI. He asked that no one worry about his health. He is still under police investigation for alleged threats to national security.

Hong Kong () – Card. Joseph Zen Ze-kiun has been in the hospital for more than a week due to respiratory problems. He entered on January 22 to carry out controls. The cardinal himself gave the news yesterday in a message on his blog.

The 91-year-old bishop emeritus of the city had already had health problems before traveling in early January for the funeral of Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, where he also had a private audience with Pope Francis.

In a message to the prisoners in prisons that he has not been able to visit in recent days, Card. Zen thanked the doctors and nurses who are treating him and asked everyone not to worry about his condition.

His health began to deteriorate soon after he returned to Hong Kong. For 10 days she could not leave the seminary where he resides and on the night of the first day of the new lunar year he suffered respiratory decompensation. In 2016 she had spent three weeks in the hospital for lung problems.

In his web post, the cardinal says the four-day trip to the Vatican was “joyful, but also tiring.” Despite his ailments, he wanted to express his respect and affection to Benedict XVI on behalf of the faithful in Hong Kong and China.

To travel to Rome, he had to obtain permission from the Court. Police have opened an investigation against him for alleged threats to national security. On November 25, the West Kowloon Court sentenced him to pay a fine of 4,000 Hong Kong dollars (about 469 euros) for managing the ‘612’ humanitarian fund. The fund had assisted thousands of pro-democracy protesters involved in the 2019 protests until it was shut down in the fall of 2021.

On May 11 last year, police arrested Cardinal Zen and four other fund managers (also fined) on the most serious charge of “collusion” with foreign forces, an offense covered by the draconian security law it imposed. Beijing in the summer of 2020.