Zen Responds After Being Labeled "Distorted Personality" for Defending a Persecuted Bishop

Cardinal Joseph Zen, 93, of Hong Kong, responded publicly to an article by Fr. Han Qingping concerning the “retirement” of Bishop Zhang Weizhu of the Diocese of Xinxiang and the consecration of Bishop Li Jianlin.
Fr. Han’s article described the replacement of the persecuted underground bishop with the state-recognized bishop as a positive sign of improving Sino-Vatican relations. He claimed that critics of the situation - implicitly referring to Cardinal Zen - were motivated by “stupidity,” “malice,” or a “distorted personality.”
“This struck a nerve with me,” Cardinal Zen replied via his personal blog on December 11: “I don’t admit to being a ‘bad person’ or having a ‘personality disorder,’ but I am indeed ‘stupid’ enough to ‘take it personally.’”
Zen also responded to Fr. Han’s reference to his criticism of the Synod on Synodality. He clarified that his description of “Church suicide behavior” does not refer to the synod as a whole or to synodality in general, but …More