Ninety-year-old retired Catholic cardinal Joseph Zen appeared in a Hong Kong court Tuesday charged with failing to properly register a protest defence fund, after he was initially arrested under the city's national security law.

Zen, one of Asia's highest-ranking Catholic clerics, was among five prominent democracy advocates -- including activist and singer Denise Ho and veteran human rights barrister Margaret Ng -- who were detained earlier this month.

The group acted as trustees of a now-defunct fund that helped pay legal and medical costs for those arrested during huge and sometimes violent democracy protests three years ago.

They were arrested for "conspiracy to collude with foreign forces" but have not yet been charged with that offence, which can carry a life sentence under the sweeping security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.

Instead, all five of the fund's former trustees and its secretary were charged Tuesday with failing to register the fund as a "society" with police -- a non-national security offence that can incur a fine of up to HK$10,000 (US$1,274) for a first conviction.

Each of the defendants, apart from activist Cyd Ho, who is already serving a jail sentence for unauthorised assembly, was present in court on Tuesday.

All entered a plea of not guilty. The trial will begin September 19.

The investigation into the "612 Humanitarian Relief Fund" was triggered when one of the group, cultural studies scholar Hui Po-keung, was intercepted at Hong Kong's airport on May 10 as he tried to leave to take up an academic post in Europe.

The investigation of the fund has also led to the first complaint made by the city's national security police about "professional misconduct" by the lawyers and barristers hired by the fund's beneficiaries.

- 'Classic smearing campaign' -

Diplomats from multiple European countries including Germany, France, Sweden and Italy attended Tuesday's hearing.

Zen's arrest in particular has triggered outrage from Western nations, who have accused China of eviscerating the freedoms it once promised Hong Kong.

But on Monday, the city's security minister told local media the criticism was a "classic smearing campaign".

"To my understanding, the Vatican is a place to pursue justice and peace. If we did not act in accordance with the law because of one's role in the Holy See, then I think it would actually breach the Vatican's principle of justice," said Chris Tang in an interview with the South China Morning Post.

China's foreign affairs commissioner in Hong Kong said the criticism proved Western nations were concerned about the "agents they deliberately cultivated".

Hong Kong's vicar general, Joseph Chan, was present in court but said he was not there as a representative of the Diocese.

"He (Zen) was my teacher, so I came," he told AFP.

Chan said he is mainly worried about Zen's health but that he has so far appeared in good spirits.

The cardinal has arranged a nighttime mass to pray for China on Tuesday night.

The controversial deal that rebuilt Vatican-China ties
Hong Kong (AFP) May 23, 2022 - A secretive deal between the Vatican and Beijing is up for renewal later this year as concerns grow about China's rights record and its tightening grip on churches and clergy.

Pope Francis led a years-long effort to build ties with authoritarian China and in 2018 the Holy See reached a two-year agreement with Beijing.

What is the Vatican-China deal?

The agreement allows China's communist government to nominate bishops for the pope's approval, giving both sides a say over church leadership.

In a key concession, Pope Francis recognised eight Beijing-backed bishops who were previously excommunicated because they were ordained without papal approval.

The deal -- the details of which were never fully disclosed -- was extended in 2020 and will be up for review this October.

Why was the deal made?

The 2018 provisional deal was an attempt to close the schism in China's Catholic population, previously estimated to be around 12 million.

China severed ties with the Holy See in 1951, forcing Catholics to choose between membership of the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association or underground churches loyal to the pope.

The Communist Party is officially atheist and exercises strict control over all recognised religious institutions, including vetting sermons.

Why was it criticised?

While some hailed the 2018 deal as a pragmatic compromise enabling dialogue, others fear that China's underground churches will become even more marginalised.

Those who operate without the Communist Party's blessing say they have been targeted by authorities in recent years, pointing to the demolition of underground churches, persecution of members and pressure on their clergy to switch sides.

The 2018 deal was also inked at a time when China was carrying out mass incarcerations of Muslims in its far-western Xinjiang region, a campaign the United States and multiple Western legislatures have declared a genocide.

After the deal was renewed, a commentary in the Holy See's official newspaper acknowledged "many situations of great suffering" in China, adding that the Vatican encourages a "more fruitful exercise of religious freedom".

The United States in 2020 opposed the deal's renewal, with then-secretary of state Mike Pompeo saying the Vatican would "endanger its moral authority".

Another vocal critic was Hong Kong's Cardinal Zen who accused the Vatican of "selling out" China's underground Catholic community.

Zen was arrested this month on national security grounds in Hong Kong. The charges are not linked to his criticism of the deal.

- What are the restrictions on religion in China? -

Under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, Chinese authorities have tightened their hold on religious groups despite warmer relations with the Vatican.

Xi has repeatedly called on foreign religions to undergo "Sinicisation", aligning their beliefs with Chinese culture and socialist ideology.

Underground Catholic clergy who refuse to comply with state demands have been subject to "detention, surveillance, and removal from active ministry" even after the Vatican deal, according to a report this year by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

In January 2021, Chinese authorities imposed new rules on clergy management that put two state-run organisations in charge of appointing bishops, with no mention of papal authority.

The China-Vatican relationship is also closely watched in Taiwan, as the Holy See remains the sole European ally to officially recognise the self-ruled island.

China sees Taiwan as a part of its territory to be seized one day, by force if necessary, and has steadily convinced Taipei's diplomatic allies to switch recognition to Beijing.

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