Hong Kong Cardinal Zen has been released after his arrest

Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zin Ze Keon has been released after his arrest. The 90-year-old former Catholic bishop of Hong Kong was arrested tonight (local time) along with other supporters of the democracy movement.

Police said the detainees were released on bail and their passports confiscated. In addition to Zayn, attorney Margaret Ng, pop singer Dennis Ho, former lawmaker Syed Ho, and culture scholar Hui Bo Kyung are said to have been arrested, according to Reuters. Police spoke of two men and two women.

Guardian of the Demonstrators’ Fund

They all participated as trustees in running a defunct humanitarian fund for protesters in the 2019 anti-democracy protests in Beijing. According to media reports, they were accused of “covert collusion with foreign forces”.

Human Rights Watch described the arrests as “shocking”. The Vatican expressed concern about Zain’s arrest.

Critics of China and the Vatican

Cardinal Zen is considered one of the most influential representatives of the Catholic Church in Asia. After his tenure, the Salesian monk Don Bosco is one of the most prominent critics of the Chinese government, its religious policy and, more recently, the Vatican and its policy toward China.

Zinn repeatedly warned of too great concessions by Rome to an untrustworthy communist regime. He even spoke several times about “betrayal” and “selling out” the interests of Catholics in China.