Cardinal Joseph Zen – Religion & Liberty Online

July 08, 2025

The Horrors of Mao’s Communist Utopia

About a decade ago during a visit to Phnom Penh, a colleague invited me to dine at a North Korean restaurant he often visited during his trips to the capital of Cambodia. Continue Reading...

June 17, 2025

Fight for the First Amendment

Over the vociferous dissent of Justice Neil Gorsuch, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in Apache Stronghold v. United States. The case, which has rattled around federal courts in the Ninth Circuit for about a decade, is focused on the fate of a tract of land known as Oak Flat in Arizona. Continue Reading...

May 24, 2022

With the arrest of a Catholic bishop, is Hong Kong now a police state?

In less than two years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has asserted almost complete control in Hong Kong. Other than possessing a generally open internet, the “special administrative region” is now like any other Chinese city. Continue Reading...

May 13, 2022

Cardinal Joseph Zen arrested in Hong Kong for support of pro-democracy protests released on bail

Following his arrest and hours of questioning, Cardinal Joseph Zen—one of the leading Catholic prelates in Hong Kong—was released on bail after being accused of “collusion with foreign forces.” As a staunch supporter of democracy in Hong Kong and mainland China, Zen has long spoken out against authoritarianism and the persecution of Catholics under Chinese president Xi Jinping. Continue Reading...

August 24, 2021

Jimmy Lai: Mogul, pro-democracy activist, and Communist China’s biggest target in fight to suppress free speech

Lai Chee-Ying, also known as “Jimmy Lai,” is a successful Hong Kong entrepreneur, media mogul, and democratic activist who fled, young and penniless, to Hong Kong from mainland China. Lai eventually founded Apple Daily, one of the most well-read newspapers in Hong Kong. Continue Reading...