Cardinal Zen Fires Back
Mr. Cardinal
Allow me to use the means of an open letter in order to achieve a more timely communication.
By indirect way, I have read your letter of 26 February (Prot. N. 1/2020) which also has the honour of having inaugurated your high office as the Dean of the College of Cardinals.
I admire your courage in venturing into matters that you also recognise to be "complex", thus jeopardising the prestige of your newly inaugurated honorable office. But it is known that today there is a Vice-Pope [Cardinal Parolin] who manages to give courage to all the servants in the Holy See.
Let us come to the letter.
1. To clarify the vision of John Paul II and Benedict XVI with regard to Communism, it is enough to refer you to pages 161-162 of the book "Last Conversations" (Pope Benedict gave me a copy with the dedication "in communion of prayer and thought").
The question of the journalist Peter Seewald:
"Did you share and actively support the Pope's Ostpolitik (John Paul II)?"
Benedict answered, "We were talking about it. It was clear that Casaroli's policy, though implemented with the best intentions, had failed.
The new line pursued by John Paul II was the fruit of his personal experience, of contact with those powers.
Clearly, at the time, one could not hope that this regime would soon collapse, but it was clear that, instead of being conciliatory and accepting compromises, one had to oppose it with force.
This was the basic vision of John Paul II, which I shared."
2. In order to prove that the signed agreement had already been approved by Benedict XVI, it would be enough to show me the signed text, which until now I was not allowed to see, and the evidence from the archives, which you were able to verify. It would only remain to be explained why then the agreement was not signed at the time.
3. The "epochal" change in the meaning of the word "independence," I fear, exists only in the head of the eminent Secretary of State, induced perhaps by an erroneous translation from Chinese made by the young minutante of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples - by now monoculus rex in regno caecorum - who was also co-responsible for at least ten errors in the translation of Pope Benedict's 2007 letter.
Given the intelligence of Your Eminence, it is, however, difficult for me to believe that you were deceived, it is more likely that you wanted to "let yourself to be deceived".
4. I don't understand the last part of your letter, which is at least confused. The facts are there. I have evidence that Parolin manipulates the Holy Father, who always shows me so much affection, but does not answer my questions afterwards. In front of the positions taken by the Holy See that I can't understand, I tell all the desolate brothers who turn to me, not to criticise those who follow those dispositions. Since, however, the provisions still leave freedom to those who have a conscientious objection, I encourage them to withdraw to the catacombs, without opposing any injustice, otherwise they would end up losing more.
What have I done wrong?
5. I agree 100% with the invitation to pray.
I remember that recently the Holy See also recommended the invocation to Our Lady "Sub tuum praesidium" and to the Archangel St. Michael.
Obviously there is the "Oremus pro Pontifice" which concludes with "et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum ejus".
I wish you happier moments in your long service as Dean of the College of Cardinals.
obliging
Cardinal Zen
