Hong Kong's Cardinal Zen attends Vatican meetings ahead of papal conclave

Retired Hong Kong Catholic Church Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, who was permitted to leave Hong Kong to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, has joined fellow cardinals in Vatican City for pre-conclave meetings and called on Catholics to pray for the upcoming election of the next pope.

The 93-year-old cardinal, who arrived in the Vatican last Wednesday (Apr 23), shared photos on Facebook showing him walking through St. Peter's Square with the assistance of priest Carlos Cheung.

He wrote in the post on Tuesday: “Let us unite in prayer for the Conclave.”

Zen, a pro-democracy figure in Hong Kong, had been barred from leaving the city as part of his bail conditions tied to his 2022 arrest over alleged collusion with foreign forces in connection with the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund. 

Authorities granted him temporary permission to retrieve his passport and travel to the Vatican for the pope’s funeral. His return date remains uncertain.

This marks the second time that Zen has been allowed to visit the Vatican despite legal restrictions. 

In early 2023, he traveled to pay his respects to the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and attended a private meeting with Pope Francis during that trip.

The papal conclave, the assembly of cardinals tasked with electing the next pope, is set to begin on May 7, with approximately 135 cardinals under the age of 80 from around the world eligible to take part in the secret meeting and vote for the next leader of the 1.4 billion-member Church. 

Hong Kong's Catholic community has three living cardinals: Zen, retired Bishop John Tong Hon, and current Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan. 

Of the three, only the 65-year-old Chow meets the age requirement to participate in the conclave.

Pope Francis, who led the Catholic Church for over a decade, passed away on April 21. 

(Ayra Wang)