Red (Hat) China

The Catholic News Service reports today on the appointment of Hong Kong Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun as cardinal. This is good news in two ways. First it is good that the Chinese Catholic population--now over 12 million strong--has better representation in the Curia (the only other Chinese Cardinal, Paul Shan Kuo-hsi, is 82 years old and, hence, cannot vote in a Conclave). Second, it keeps the Chinese Catholic Church in view--reminding the rest of the world that there is, in fact, a struggling Church in China, and reminding the Chinese government who, in fact, is in charge of that Church.