For more information about this event, please contact Matthea Brandenburg at [email protected] or 616.454.3080.
We are living in a time of what has been called a “global war on Christianity.” Whether in the Middle East, Africa, Asia or even America and Europe, it is becoming more difficult for Catholics and other Christians to practice their faith, which includes not only the right to worship on Sundays but also to exercise the political, civil and economic freedoms enjoyed by their fellow citizens. In this live broadcast event, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong and Dr. Samuel Gregg, director of research at the Acton Institute will examine how the conception of religious liberty limits the state’s exercise of power, the manner in which the expansion of economic freedom creates new opportunities and challenges for believers, as well as how social welfare policies can inhibit or facilitate religious activity. We also intend to discuss the state’s important role in promoting and protecting religious liberty and minority rights with due regard for the common good.
At this event, Dr. Gregg will deliver a lecture on "Religious Liberty & Economic Freedom: Intellectual and Practical Challenges" and Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun will follow with remarks on "Economic Openness & Religious Repression: The Paradox of China".
Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun
Bishop Emeritus of Hong Kong
Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B., Bishop emeritus of Hong Kong (China), was born on 13 January 1932 in Yang King-pang, Shanghai, China. He was ordained a priest on 11 February 1961 for the Society of Don Bosco, the Salesian Order. Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun served as a Salesian Provincial Superior for China for six years, and from 1989-96 he taught philosophy and sacramental theology in various Chinese seminaries. On 13 September 1996 he was appointed coadjutor of the diocese of Hong Kong, and on 23 September 2002 he was made bishop of the diocese. During the 11th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 2005, he spoke on “Sensus ecclesiae and religious freedom”, addressing the situation of the Church in China and of the signs of hope that the Church, after years of forced separation which had apparently “divided it in two”, is a single Church headings towards a “normalization”. He was created and proclaimed cardinal by Benedict XVI in the consistory of 24 March 2006, given the title of Santa Maria Madre del Redentore a Tor Bella Monaca.
Dr. Samuel Gregg
Director of Research, Acton Institute
Dr. Samuel Gregg is director of research at the Acton Institute. He has written and spoken extensively on questions of political economy, economic history, ethics in finance, and natural law theory. He has an MA in political philosophy from the University of Melbourne, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in moral philosophy and political economy from the University of Oxford, where he worked under the supervision of Professor John Finnis.
He is the author of several books, including Morality, Law, and Public Policy (2000), Economic Thinking for the Theologically Minded (2001),...
