Cardinal Joseph Zen appeared in court in Hong Kong on May 24, a day that is the World Day of Prayer for the Chinese Church.
On May 24, the former Catholic Bishop of Hong Kong, 90, appeared in court with four other prominent democracy advocates, all trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which paid the legal fees of pro-democracy protesters.
Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that all five pleaded not guilty to failing to register the humanitarian fund with the police.
According to reports, a first conviction can lead to a fine of up to $1,274. However, this charge will not fall under Hong Kong's national security law.
On September 19, Cardinal Zen will appear on trial.
Hong Kong's vicar general, Father Joseph Chan, was in court, but he did not represent the diocese, AFP reported.
Our Lady Help of Christians is celebrated on May 24, the night when Zen plans to offer a Mass for China.
In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI declared the Marian feast the Church's annual "World Day of Prayer."
Diplomats from Italy, France, Germany, Sweden, and other countries were in the courtroom to witness Zen's hearing when he was arrested in Hong Kong on May 11.
Zen was released on bail later the same day, and diplomats from other European countries were in attendance as well.
A Vatican spokesman said the Vatican was "following the development very closely" after the arrest of the cardinal earlier this month.
"The Chinese and Hong Kong authorities should stop targeting Hong Kong advocates and immediately release those who have been detained and charged unjustly, including Cardinal Joseph Zen and others arrested today,” said White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
An independent member of the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the United Kingdom's Parliament, called the cardinal's arrest "an outrageous act of intimidation."
"I am attentively and actively following the often-complex life and situations of the faithful and pastors in China," said Pope Francis in his Regina Coeli address on May 22.
By not mentioning Zen by name, the pope urged people to pray for Catholics in China, "so that the Church in China might live in effective communion with the universal Church, able to fulfil its mission of proclaiming the Gospel to all people." - Anbu Selvam
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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