The newly appointed Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong, a leading critic of Beijing’s communist regime, was given a sharp warning by the Chinese government to stick to religion and not to dabble in politics.

However, Cardinal Zen offered no promises that he would keep quiet.

He said he was too old to change his position on issues such as Chinese democracy and the rights of the persecuted underground Roman Catholic Church in China. “I’m 74 now, and I’m afraid it will be quite hard to change at this point,” he said.

“People say I am rebellious. But if you help the underprivileged, you have to speak louder or no one can hear you.”

In response, a spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said religion and politics should be kept apart.

“We have taken note of Zen’s appointment. We advocate that religious figures should not interfere with politics,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao, in Beijing yesterday. “We hope that the Catholic Church in Hong Kong will cherish the stability, development, and harmony of Hong Kong society.”

“Stability” is a communist leadership codeword for not questioning Beijing rule and falling in with its demands. They are anxious that Cardinal Zen, who is based in Hong Kong, does not agitate for increased democracy.

While conceding that he might have to be “cautious,” the cardinal deliberately ruled out abandoning his quest for democracy and the reconciliation of Chinese Catholics with the Vatican. The communist regime expelled the Vatican’s ambassador and cut diplomatic ties in the 1950s.

“My great wish is that we can achieve direct dialogue,” he said. “But if we want to have integral freedom, it is not easy and we must go step by step.

“I don’t think it would be an offense to say the current situation is not normal,” he said. “Obviously, everyone will admit the church in China is very different from other parts of the world, so I think there is a will on both sides to normalize the situation.”

Cardinal Zen was born on the Chinese mainland but was unable to return to China under the years of Mao. He was elevated from the rank of archbishop by Pope Benedict XVI, in a clear signal to the Beijing regime that the Vatican is fully behind his efforts.

Cardinal Zen wrote a personal letter to Pope Benedict shortly after he was elevated, expressing his concerns about the China regime. The pope replied with a letter in his own hand, thanking Cardinal Zen for his views.

Cardinal Zen will be formally installed as cardinal in a two-day ceremony in Rome on March 24. He is the sixth Chinese cardinal in history and the second from Hong Kong, after the late John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung.