But he denies breaching the divide between Catholic Church and state
Hong Kong's official mainland newspaper yesterday launched a scathing attack on the outspoken head of Hong Kong's Catholic diocese, accusing him of turning it into a political organisation that breached the separation between church and state.
But Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun dismissed the article and said state leaders, who were liberal-minded, would not be 'misled' into believing that the church had been wading into politics.
A signed commentary published in the English-language China Daily newspaper slammed Bishop Zen for dipping 'a finger in every pie' in recent political controversies, including the right-of-abode saga and the Article 23 controversy, and accused him of stirring up anti-government sentiments.
'Manoeuvring between the government and different political groups, he has actually eclipsed all other trouble-making politicians,' it read.
'All these facts have proven that a minority of the members of the Catholic Church's top echelon are wantonly imposing their political views on their members and, in their clerical capacities, encouraging them to participate in political activities.