Jan 10, 2026 / 11:30 am (CNA).
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun delivered a forceful critique of synodality at the extraordinary consistory of cardinals this week, decrying the process as an “ironclad manipulation” that was an “insult to the dignity of the bishops.”
The bishop emeritus of Hong Kong also described the “continual reference to the Holy Spirit” during the 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality as “ridiculous and almost blasphemous.”
The cardinal, 93, made his remarks during one of two free discussion periods during the Jan. 7-8 consistory that drew together 170 of the 245 members of the College of Cardinals in Pope Leo XIV’s first major meeting with the sacred college since his election.
In impassioned comments, first reported Jan. 9 by the College of Cardinals Report, the bishop emeritus criticized Pope Francis for bypassing the college of bishops while at the same time Francis was insisting it was an appropriate means for “understanding the hierarchical ministry.”
The cardinal questioned the ability of any pope to listen to the entire People of God and whether the laity represent the People of God. He asked if the bishops elected to take part in the synodal process had been able to carry out a work of discernment.
“The ironclad manipulation of the process is an insult to the dignity of the bishops, and the continual reference to the Holy Spirit is ridiculous and almost blasphemous,” Zen said. “They expect surprises from the Holy Spirit. What surprises? That he should repudiate what he inspired in the Church’s two-thousand-year tradition?”
The cardinal also observed apparent inconsistencies in the synod’s final document: That it was declared to be part of the magisterium and yet it said it did not establish any norms; that although it stressed unity of teaching and practice, it said these could be applied according to “different contexts;” and that each country or region “can seek solutions better suited to its culture and sensitive to its tradition and needs.”
The cardinal also pointed to what he called “many ambiguous and tendentious expressions in the document,” and asked if the Holy Spirit guarantees that “contradictory interpretations will not arise.”
Zen openly wondered whether the results of what the document calls “experimenting and testing” of these “new forms of ministeriality” will be submitted to the Synod Secretariat and, if so, whether the secretariat will be “more competent than the bishops to judge different contexts” of the Church in various countries or regions.
“If the bishops believe themselves to be more competent, do the differing interpretations and choices not lead our Church to the same division (fracture) found in the Anglican Communion?” the cardinal asked.
Regarding the Orthodox Church, Zen said he believes their bishops “will never accept” what he called “Bergoglian synodality” as, for them, synodality is “the importance of the Synod of Bishops.”
Pope Francis, he said, “exploited the word synod, but has made the Synod of Bishops — an institution established by Paul VI — disappear.” Zen’s remark was an apparent reference to how the late pope had reshaped the institution by giving non-bishops a formal role, making the institution no longer simply an episcopal advisory body.
The Vatican press office and cardinals chosen to speak to the press made no mention of Zen’s remarks during the consistory.
In press statements, it was claimed there was no criticism of Pope Francis during the two-day meeting, although Cardinal Stephen Brislin did speak of a “divergence” of opinion, saying some cardinals wanted the concept of synodality to be further clarified.
The consistory was a closed-door meeting to which no media were admitted, and cardinals were asked to keep the proceedings confidential.
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What bravery…. Having been persecuted in his diocese, he was persecuted by his Church, with nothing to lose, he speaks truth! May God grant him good health and many more years.
I am greatly heartened — and totally relieved — that Cardinal Zen has said what needed to be said about Bergoglio’s synodolatry scam.
This is a historic moment for our Church.
Using the worthy cardinal, the Holy Spirit has deigned to spare us from sheer evil once again.
Thanks be to God.
Amen!
We read that the synodal process was an “insult to the dignity of the bishops,” that the Orthodox Churches will never accept such a process having “the importance of the Synod of Bishops,” and that “some cardinals wanted the concept of synodality to be further clarified.”
Two clarifying comments and a clarifying question:
FIRST, from the back bleachers, this proposed clarification: All it takes is a few termites below the waterline…
…As in the fatal opening-wedge footnote in Amoris Laetitia (2015), or the upending wording in the synodality Vademecum (2020) casting the diocesan Successors of the Apostles “primarily as facilitators”, or the officiously “unofficial, spontaneous, non-scandalous blessing” of “irregular couples” slipped into Fiducia Supplicans (2024), or the gratuitous few words “never appropriate” slipped into Mater Populi Fidelis (2025) and requiring immediate clarification.
SECOND, “synodality” must be decisively clarified as a “style” of interpersonal engagement rather than an insidious project to replace the balanced and “hierarchical communion” structure of the Church (Lumen Gentium) with what Cardinal Zen accurately sees as a halfway-house model into post-Catholic congregationalism.
THIRD, considering the body language of the Church—even without actual words—now might we be finally relieved that the current and proposed annual “consistories of cardinals” replaces (!) the recent synodal proposal (early 2025) for another structured (not merely a needed interpersonal “style”) round of geographic “synods”—diocesan, regional, continental—all institutionalizing a self-validating and grand finale synod-on-a-synod-on synodality “ecclesial assembly” in 2028?
The process IS the message?
SUMMARY: Consistories of ALL cardinals and not simply the well-placed/replaceable termites(?)–partly to advance greater/restored harmony among the Holy See’s internal dicasteries, and guarding the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church from ever being annexed into an emerging “spheres of influence” model of global politics. Westphalia (1648) with the earlier Henry XIII and the later der Synodal Weg has been bad enough.
The charity of clarity…
Typo: Henry VIII.
Cardinal Joseph Zen is a holy bishop, a forthright and honest man, a courageous seeker of the truth and tells it like it is. When he was Bishop of Hong Kong, he fought for his people. He, along with his friend, Jimmy Lai, has been a thorn in the side of the CPP (Chinese Communist Party) for years. They even arrested him in 2020 on some trumped-up “collusion with foreign policy charge” under their new “security law” in order to muzzle his critiques of their communist regime and persecution of Catholics. This man is a fighter and a staunch Catholic.
As for “synodality”, it is a concept which does not mesh with Saint Pope Paul VI’s vision. The synod of bishops which Paul VI had established is no longer a synod of bishops; under Pope Francis, it has become a get-together of lay people, who think they can change two thousand years of Catholicism.
What is wrong with just following the teachings of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus-Christ? What is wrong with following the Fathers of the Church? Bishops are supposed to lead their flock to Christ. What is this kowtowing to the whims and desires of every Tom, Dick and Harry who has an opinion on how the Church should change? “Listening” to the people can be a two-edged sword. In my own parish, more than half the parishioners are in favor of LGBTQ rights, women priests and deacons, etc…Yet, they are the first ones to get in line for communion (handed out by a lay woman no less, under the pretext of helping the priest).
Kudos to Cardinal Zen for speaking out.
May God bless this holy man, as well as bless the man he baptized, Jimmy Lai, for standing up for the truth.
Marie Brousseau: Catholic, Biologist, Essayist, Teacher, Writer
Catholic Author of “Defending Human Dignity: Catholic Answers to Gender, Abortion and Relativity
mariebrousseau.com
Great comments.
Should we know? Closed meeting, confidentiality?
If Cardinal Zen wants to share the text of his intervention, then I do not see a problem. He provided the text to the College of Cardinals Report and gave them permission to publish it.
As one of the senior members of the College of Cardinals, he has been through more consistories than the vast majority of current cardinals. So he should be thoroughly aware of the rules, guidelines and expectations.
What is the problem that you see?
Yes, we should. Sunlight disinfects.
Cardinal Zen is a good and faithful shepherd, who lays down his life for his flock.
So is Bishop Strickland.
I note that the managers and mouthpieces of the Church establishment are mute when confronted by the truth spoken by Cardinal Zen. His testimony is public, and their meetings must be secret.
As one contributor to CWR said in his book on the sex abuse coverup operations by the Church Establishment: “Everything Hidden Shall Be Revealed.”
Throughout the history of our faith, an outgrowth of our Jewish roots, the prophet has stood alone proclaiming the truth to those who need to hear it. He stands alone proclaiming what needs to be said to those who don’t want to hear it. The genuineness of his message is often vindicated after his passing when it is either fulfilled or heeded. Now that the seed has been sown, time will prove its worth by its fruit. Our ears should be burning as we just overheard a private conversation that was not meant for us to hear. I just pray that we, the laymen (gender inclusive) stay out of it and allow the Cardinals to prayerfully ponder the message. The Holy Spirit does not need the pressure of lobby groups- Synodality?
How cunning the evil one. Prudence stays silent waiting for Wisdom. Wisdom speaks in Wisdom’s time. Let faith not falter. Jesus Christ is Lord !!!
Cardinal Zen openly and correctly voices what other cardinals hold, yet remain silent. Others are befuddled, trying to find just rationale in what Synodality means while wanting to be faithful to our new Roman pontiff’s adherence to Bergoglian Church philosophy.
It’s a losing scenario, a true predicament for the Church. What would synodality’s inventor and founder of the dreaded St Gallen Group, deceased Cardinal Carlo Martini say? We don’t require a seance to find out because we know by what his protege Archbishop Buenos Aires Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio intended – to paradigmatically reconfigure the Church structurally and doctrinally. But how then do we respond to Leo XIV?
One would have thought [actually meaning myself] that he would slowly and quietly ease us out of its web-like entanglement. Bishops seek to perceive their purpose in a Church that means being Church is being Synodal. What does that say when the laity and the Holy Spirit [although with gracious magnanimity awakened bishops] if not some unexpected surprise?
As it goes our eldest, active prelate Zen at 93 is increasing in wisdom while some of our younger bishops are just plain dense. Although they’re expected to grow up.
Yes, “One would have thought […] that he [Leo] would slowly and quietly ease us out of its web-like entanglement.”
Three supportive comments:
FIRST, my outlier proposal (above) is that recurring consistories of ALL cardinals—one now, another announced in six months, and others announced annually—is such an easing step. A substitute for another proposed two-year round of parallel, layered and geographical “synodal” thingies….
SECOND, otherwise, regarding clerical imitations of silent cigar-store-Indians, the novelist and playwright Honore de Balzac offers a diagnosis: “bureaucracy is a giant mechanism operated by pigmies.” But, least the poster-child/court-jester and dicasterial communications advisor Fr. Jimmy Martin SJ wasn’t given a photo-op with cardinals X, Y and Z. (insert the names).
THIRD, to further clarify the meaning of “synodality,” do the lay-clerical and more-or-less autonomous synods—diocesan, regional, and then continental—suggest a parallelism less with the autocephalous Orthodox Churches and more with resurgent and intrusive Islam?
The self-understanding of very sectarian Islam is as a “congregational theocracy.” So, why not a harmonized “congregational ecclesiology”?
“bureaucracy is a giant mechanism operated by pigmies.”
I prefer Robert Conquest’s quote as it addresses the the machinations of bureaucracies. One should never under estimate bureaucrats. They may not be intelligent, but they are shrewd, opportunistic and generally will use those powers to exploit loopholes or others.
“The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.”
― Robert Conquest
If of course Light Shoes Jimmy Martin gets his way, the parallelism won’t be with Islam or Orthodoxy, but with Out Magazine.
His Eminences makes many interesting points, including wondering if a Synod subset really expected that their fervor for the supremacy of homosexual culture would be mistaken for a Pentecostal inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
If only Pope Leo XIV had said what Cardinal Zen had said… or at least something like, “Let’s put Synodality in the rear view mirror and move on.”
The degree to which Pope Leo embraces or continues Synodality, will largely define his Papacy. There’s a risky road ahead for him and the Church.
What a man! What a cardinal! If only there were more like him. Given the extent to which he stands out, it shows how few there are like him.
God reward Cardinal Zen. Apparently one need live under the thumb of genocidal Marxism to have spine and learn to speak the plain unvarnished truth. One would hope that the marriage of devotion, intellect, experience and common sense would have come from the American Pope. Is it too much to hope that eventually it will? Or do we have to wait for the collapse of Western Civilization for the wake-up call penetrate those ears?
PF, unlike his 260+ predecessors, was the pope wearing new clothes. Cardinal Zen has the cajones to say that PF was theologically, morally, intellectually and managerially barren and bereft of qualification for the Holy Office he occupied.
The clothes, (documents, decisions, et al), of the dead pope need to be declared null, void and forever reversed.
Go ahead, ask me how I really feel!
He is correct. Pope Leo needs to wake up and acknowledge reality.
So essentially one brave Chinese man is left standing against overwhelming force-as if it’s 1989 all over again. Only he is willing to defend the proposition that the Church’s mandate is to make disciples of the world, not mutilate itself to become a disciple of the world.
May God Bless him with health, vitality and a peaceful death when it is his time.