The Chinese Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong, attended the funeral of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI held today at the Vatican.
The 90-year-old cardinal was able to concelebrate the funeral Mass of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI after he got temporary permission to leave the country. The authority handed him over the passport to travel to Rome.
A local court allowed Cardinal Zen, who was arrested last year under the city’s national security law, to travel to Italy to be present at the late pope’s funeral that made him a cardinal.
Following the death of Benedict XVI on December 31, 2022, Cardinal Zen reflected on the legacy of the late Pope Emeritus.
In a text published on his blog on 3 January of this year, the Cardinal recalled Benedict XVI as a “great defender of the truth” who carried out “extraordinary” actions to support the Church in China, despite many setbacks.
“As a member of the Chinese Church, I am immensely grateful to Pope Benedict for the things he has done,” Cardinal Zen wrote.
Benedict XVI created Zen Cardinal in 2006 and chose him to write the Stations of the Cross meditations at the Roman Coliseum in 2008, a year before Zen’s retirement as Bishop of Hong Kong.