Zen: millions spent on good causes Zen spent Lai cash on good causes

Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun has told of his surprise at getting HK$3 million from tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying that later grew into a string of donations totalling HK$20 million, some of which was used to fund the underground church on the mainland.

'That's a lot. It was surprising,' the top Vatican adviser and former head of the Hong Kong Catholic diocese, said of the initial 2005 windfall.

Zen, an outspoken democracy campaigner and critic of Beijing, broke his silence at a press conference in the face of a flurry of media reports about the donations. He said Lai never directed him as to how to spend the money, and the donations were given to him personally and were not related to the church.

After his initial surprise, Zen said he became more matter-of-fact about the money.

'A few millions is a large amount. But think about it. It [Hong Kong] is not a diocese of a backwater town. Very often we need to spend money and indeed the diocese does not have a lot of money ... for a cardinal or a bishop, it is not a huge amount,' he said. 'Maybe the first time I might say thank you. But afterwards whatever [a donor] gave, I would take it.'

Supporting charities and followers in Hong Kong and the mainland, as well as funding bishops of less privileged areas, were among other ways in which he spent the money, he said.

Lai has not commented in detail on his donations to various political groups - shown in online documents leaked to the media earlier this week to have totalled HK$60 million since 2005. A spokesman said on Tuesday that they were 'entirely legal'. The media tycoon could not be reached for comment yesterday.