The 90-year-old, among the most senior Catholic clerics in Asia, has for decades been a prominent critic of China’s human rights record and backed protesters as Hong Kong was engulfed in anti-government demonstrations in 2019 that led to a Beijing-imposed national security law the following year.
Zen, who was ordained in 1961 and named Hong Kong’s sixth bishop in 2002, is widely revered for being outspoken on human rights issues and political freedom.
A steadfast supporter of democratic reform in Hong Kong, Zen was named a cardinal in 2006, the second highest rank among Catholics below the pope.
Born in Shanghai to Catholic parents in 1932, the teenage Zen fled to Hong Kong as the Chinese Communist Party took control of the country.
He later joined the Catholic Salesians congregation.
He openly criticised a proposed national security bill in 2003 and regularly took part in Hong Kong’s annual candlelight vigil for the victims of the bloody 1989 Tiananmen crackdown until it was banned in 2020.
He was often seen quietly taking part in street demonstrations that were a regular feature in the city before Beijing’s security law effectively criminalised all protest and, critics say, crushed civil liberties.
Zen has been a fierce critic of both the Hong Kong and Chinese governments.
Under his stewardship, the city’s Catholic diocese morphed into a social organisation that routinely locked horns with authorities over political decisions.
After his retirement in 2009, Zen remained committed to public service and the pro-democracy movement.
His trial this week, and that of several other activists, is linked to their participation as trustees in the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which supplied legal and medical bill assistance to protesters.
Zen and his co-defendants – singer Denise Ho, former lawmakers Margaret Ng and Cyd Ho, scholar Hui Po Keung and Sze Ching Wee – if convicted, face a fine of HK$10,000 but no jail time.
They were charged with failing to properly register the fund.
However, their arrests highlight a broader effort by the authorities to prevent jailed protesters from receiving financial help.
And an investigation into the group on more serious allegations that they colluded with foreign forces – charges that can draw a life sentence under Hong Kong’s national security law – is still underway.
Washington called for Zen’s immediate release after his arrest in May, while The Vatican was criticised for its muted response to the charges as it tries to improve relations with China.
Zen was a vocal critic of deal struck by Pope Francis in 2018 that let the Chinese government have a say in appointments of bishops in the country.
Released on bail, the nonagenarian Zen frequently visits jailed activists, including fallen media tycoon Jimmy Lai, who faces charges under the security law, as well as scores of young demonstrators arrested for taking part in mass protests.
People close to him describe Zen as compassionate and selfless.
“He spends most of his time now cooking red braised pork belly – which he usually saves for special occasions – for released protesters and spends a lot of time tending to those who need help,” said one.
Chris Patten, Hong Kong’s last governor before the former British colony was handed back to China in 1999, told the National Catholic register that Zen is “a real prince of the Church – brave, pastoral and on the right side of history”.