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I grew up in Shanghai. My father had wanted to become a priest, but the preachers at the time did not advise new believers to enter the priesthood, so they urged him to wait for a son and get him to become a priest.
I have five elder sisters. It was a long wait.
When I was in high school, I would go out with friends and didn’t see my family as much.
It was a tough time for my mother: my father was sick, there was the [Chinese Civil] War, and my family was very poor.
I came to Hong Kong when I was 16 and officially entered the Salesians.
People do not change all of a sudden: I’ve always had a strong personality.
When I was studying at the Salesian Pontifical University in Italy, I began a petition protesting an unfair academic requirement.
The church requires obedience—but before you obey, you still have the right to speak.
I’m from Shanghai. When I heard that they were opening a new church there, I wrote to them and asked if I could work there.
I went there in 1989, and you know what happened then. Many were fleeing the country, so the authorities welcomed people willing to go to mainland China.
I was 64 years old when I became Hong Kong’s bishop. Rome probably picked me because I understood mainland affairs. T
hey didn’t expect that I would be so outspoken. When I was teaching in the mainland, I never criticized the government, because I knew that being able to teach in China was a valuable opportunity, and I didn’t want to jeopardize that.
Once I was bishop, however, my position shifted. I couldn’t stay silent to please the authorities. My responsibility was to help people see the truth.
Kind people do not believe in conspiracies. But if you’re too nice, you’ll be bullied. Good people need to be stronger and fight for their rights.
There are misconceptions that the Church supports capitalism. Catholicism supports private ownership and favors a market-oriented economy. We believe in a system that cares about society.
We need regulations to make sure the economy benefits the poor and people at a disadvantage.
I wonder why many devoted and smart Christians do not learn the Catholic social teachings, which outline the things I just discussed. The book is $60. I hope these Christians will remember their conscience.
I don’t know how long Carrie Lam can continue to work for the government. I think if she continues, she will find that what she’s doing is in conflict with her conscience.
Her intention may be to consider the political reality: But that doesn’t mean you have to completely accommodate Beijing. In her position, she should be able to say something to the central government.
My doctor insists I am stressed. I say, “I feel no pressure! I eat and sleep well!” But he says my muscles are very stiff.
Have I ever said something wrong or made a mistake? Definitely. Sometimes the words I use are too strong. Sometimes when people attack you, you don’t always have to respond.
The Communist Party does not change.
The Communist Party believes in its system. It is only tolerating ours. It will want to rule this city with its values. It’s happening now.
I’ve seen how things are in the mainland. Church members are like slaves under its rule. There’s no respect for bishops.
I once went to dinner with the authorities in Beijing, along with five or six bishops. Only the government official and I were talking. The other bishops stayed silent. They were like children who had to obey the adult. It was pathetic.
I worked with China’s most powerful religious figure at the time. To make a long-distance call, he had to go to a government official’s home.
You wouldn’t believe how little dignity there is until you’ve seen it yourself.
I don’t want to be a slave.
Young people are more impulsive. But if Beijing doesn’t compromise, I don’t know how to tell them to not be angry.
I hope the central government puts more trust in us.
I have no more goals in life. I am 82 years old. I will continue to make prison visits, hold talks and help mainland churches, among other things.
I won’t be able to do that much more, to be honest.
I still have a lot of energy, though I’m already not as loud as I used to be. If I become weaker in a couple of years, then I’ll shut up.


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Joseph Zen Ze-kiun

Photo: Robert Ng/SCMP

Magazines

Formerly the Bishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun is an outspoken supporter of democracy and human rights. He tells Yannie Chan about having a strong personality and clashing with the Communist Party.
