Petty Allegations: Cardinal Zen Appears in Court

Cardinal Joseph Zen appeared May 24 in a Hong Kong court. He is charged with failing to properly register the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, a protest defence fund, as “society.”

This is a simple administrative offence punishable by a fine of about €1.200. Nevertheless, Zen was initially arrested under the city's national security law for “conspiracy to collaborate with foreign forces” which could be punished with life imprisonment.

Zen and four other defendants pleaded not guilty. The trial will begin September 19. The prosecution announced they have "ten boxes of exhibits" and "eight hours of video footage" to support their case.

Hong Kong’s vicar general, Father Joseph Chan, and diplomats from multiple EU countries including Germany, France, Sweden and Italy attended the hearing in order to use the Cardinal for their own political games.

Chan said he was mostly concerned about Zen's health. However, the ninety-year-old seems to be in good spirits.

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