Bishop Zen poised to become cardinal

Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, head of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong, is set to be made a cardinal next month.

Pope Benedict was 'very eager' that there be a new Chinese cardinal and Bishop Zen was the leading candidate, a senior Vatican source told the South China Morning Post.

The Vatican official said it was 'very likely' that a Chinese cleric would be among the list of new cardinals to be appointed at a ceremony expected to be held next month.

'Since the retirement of Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi in Taiwan, there are no Chinese cardinals who can vote and be voted for in the papal election if the Pope dies,' he said.

Cardinals cannot vote when they reach 80 - so Cardinal Shan, who retired last month at the age of 83, could not vote in the election of Pope Benedict last year.

'The Holy Father is very eager that there would be a Chinese cardinal. Of course it will be a very personal decision from the Pope, but it is very likely this time that there will be one,' the source said.

He said Bishop Zen was the main contender although in theory the candidate could be from the diocese of Taipei or a senior bishop from the mainland. However, any mainland candidate would have to be named in secret and could not vote.

Bishop Zen yesterday played down the news, saying it was only a rumour and he had not received any notification. But if he were made a cardinal, the appointment would make 'somebody' unhappy, he said in an apparent reference to Beijing.

Church insiders said elevating Bishop Zen to become the only Chinese among the 110 serving cardinals, would show the Holy See's recognition of the Hong Kong diocese and goodwill towards China.

Cardinal Shan was made a cardinal in 1998 after seeking to retire as bishop of Kaohsiung. The retirement age for bishops is 75.

Bishop Zen, 74, who succeed the late Hong Kong cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung in September 2002, filed for retirement last month.

The source said the likely date for announcing Bishop Zen's appointment would be on February 22, the Feast of the Chair of St Peter, with the ceremony taking place in March.

Analysts believe that while the elevation of Bishop Zen could anger Beijing - he has been a harsh critic of the Hong Kong and central governments - it would not affect Sino-Vatican relations in the longer term.

Beatrice Leung Kit-fun, an expert in Sino-Vatican relations from Taiwan's Wenzao Ursuline College, said Bishop Zen was a natural candidate because his past actions boosted the Church's moral authority and international standing.

Anthony Lam Sui-ki, of Hong Kong's Holy Spirit Study Centre, said: 'Although Beijing might halt informal bilateral negotiations for a while, they will resume because nothing is more important than re-establishing diplomatic ties.'

The Holy See recognises Taipei and has no diplomatic relations with Beijing but relations have improved under Pope Benedict.