Cardinal fasts over court ruling

Cardinal Zen of Hong Kong observed a 72 hours abstinence from food after an appeals court rejected a diocesan objection to new regulations governing the appointment of teachers and the management of educational administrators in the third week of October.

The cardinal’s fast stems from an amended education ordinance in 2004 that requires all government-aided schools to form an incorporated management committee to replace the current management board. After six years of litigation brought by the diocese seeking an exemption, the Court of Final Appeal last week rejected the case.

Supporters visit the fasting Cardinal Zen

Cardinal Zen has said the new ordinance contradicts the Basic Law, which guarantees religious organizations’ right to run schools according to practices in place prior to the handover of Hong Kong by the UK in 1997. The issue in question, the Cardinal said, was more about the right to govern schools. “The content of religious and moral education is far more important than some concrete religious activities,” he said.

Cardinal Zen said today that the Church would not easily give up its right to run schools but might be forced to do so if it can no longer manage education according to its vision and mission.