Retired Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen stresses unity ahead of conclave for pope

Retired Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, currently in the Vatican City, offered prayers as he encouraged unity for the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor.

In a photo posted on his Facebook account on Tuesday, the 93-year-old, clad in a white liturgical robe, was seen praying at an altar in St Peter’s Basilica alongside Carlos Cheung, a Salesian priest from Hong Kong.

“Today, we celebrated the Holy mass in the crypt of St Peter’s Basilica, offering special prayers for the Universal Church and the Church in China!” Zen wrote in both English and Italian.

Another photo posted earlier on Monday showed the retired cardinal, holding a stick and dressed in a long black robe with a red sash, walking through St Peter’s Square supported by Cheung and surrounded by journalists.

Zen wrote: “Let us unite in prayer for the conclave.”

He also reposted a prayer for the sacred college of cardinals gathered for the conclave to elect the next pontiff, which emphasised that “the Church and the world have arrived at a most turbulent moment in their histories which are intimately related”.

Zen, known for his outspoken criticism of the church and the Beijing government, left Hong Kong last Wednesday for the funeral after a local court temporarily granted the return of his passport.