Jimmy Lai’s Godfather Speaks out: Jimmy Lai “Chose Those Handcuffs”—Would you and I have such courage?

Jimmy Lai’s Godfather Speaks out: Jimmy Lai “Chose Those Handcuffs”—Would you and I have such courage?

Pro-Democracy, former media tycoon and courageous Catholic Jimmy Lai sentenced to 69 Months in Communist Prison—December 2022 CNA / WSJ—The godfather of an arrested Hong Kong Catholic entrepreneur and pro-democracy advocate says he hopes Jimmy Lai’s courageous example will inspire more calls for justice amid an ongoing crackdown on human rights in now-Communist Hong Kong.…

Of Catholics and Chinese Communists: The Vatican renews its bad deal with Beijing that ignores human-rights and religious abuses

Of Catholics and Chinese Communists: The Vatican renews its bad deal with Beijing that ignores human-rights and religious abuses

WSJ—Even as Xi Jinping was being crowned as China’s unchallenged dictator, the Vatican said Saturday it has renewed its agreement with the Chinese Communist Party. This is the second renewal since the deal was brokered in 2018, though there’s little progress on religious freedom to show for it. Its main contribution has been to mute…

Day 2: The Trial of Cardinal Zen in Now-Communist-Ruled Hong Kong

Day 2: The Trial of Cardinal Zen in Now-Communist-Ruled Hong Kong

On Tuesday, Cardinal Joseph Zen’s second day in court in Hong Kong, five witnesses were cross-examined and the magistrate ruled that there was sufficient evidence to justify a trial. Paul Marshall, the director of the Religious Freedom Institute’s South and Southeast Asia Action Team, told CNA that Zen’s trial “further undercuts [communist] China’s 1997 promise…

European Parliament calls on Vatican to support Cardinal Zen

European Parliament calls on Vatican to support Cardinal Zen

CNA—The European Parliament has called on the Vatican “to give full support to Cardinal Zen” and told the Holy See it should “strengthen its diplomatic efforts and its leverage on the Chinese authorities”. In a resolution passed on July 7, the parliament condemned the arrest of the 90-year-old former bishop of Hong Kong by Chinese…

China and the Vatican

China and the Vatican

Father Paul Mariani, S.J., professor at Santa Clara University, gave a fascinating talk at the Napa Institute Summer Conference on the subject of China and the Vatican. Father Mariani’s presentation centered on a 2018 “provisional accord” between China and the Vatican that was apparently designed to work toward normalizing relations and resolving issues over the…

‘The Vatican lost everything, got nothing’: An interview with Cardinal Zen

‘The Vatican lost everything, got nothing’: An interview with Cardinal Zen

CNA—On Feb. 11, Cardinal Joseph Zen, emeritus bishop of Hong Kong met with Congressional leaders on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. After that meeting, the cardinal gave an exclusive interview to CNA in which he discussed the Church in China, the Holy See’s agreement with the Communist regime, and his relationship with Pope Francis and…

A Time for Boldness and Truth

A Time for Boldness and Truth

At the start of October, life in Manhattan recovers from those late September weeks when the opening of the United Nations General Assembly ties up traffic, even blocking many streets, and takes over many hotels and clubs for expensive receptions—some of the costliest, it seems, being those of some of the poorest countries. With so…