A Call to Prayer for China

The following comes from the AsiaNews:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In May 2007, Pope Benedict XVI released a Letter to Chinese Catholics, in which he asked that May 24 each year be celebrated as a World Day of Prayer for the Church in China. He chose May 24 because it is the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, who is venerated at the Shrine of Sheshan (佘山) in Shanghai.

The local Church, in response to His Holiness' exhortation, will be holding a Mass on Friday 23 May at 7.45 pm at St. Bernadette's Church to pray for this intention.

However, such a day of prayer for China is more than just a single event to be celebrated and then forgotten. Rather, it is to spur us on to show concern for the spiritual well-being of the mainland Chinese.

Indeed, it is our duty as Catholics who have received the gift of faith in Jesus who is the Light in the world, the Way, the Truth and the Life to share Him with those who are seeking for the fullness of truth, life and love.  

What else can the Catholic Church in Singapore do in response to the Pope's call? We must reach out to migrant Chinese particularly, by showing them our genuine love and concern. We could also support and participate in charitable projects for the poorer parts of China, and bring the Gospel of Christ to those who have not yet heard of Him.

However, after all that is said and done, the gift of faith in Jesus as the Saviour of humanity is brought about not just by witnessing in word and deed, but faith is the work of the grace given by the Holy Spirit.   Only the Holy Spirit can enlighten and convict the hearts of people and move them to faith in Christ. So besides evangelisation through proclamation and good works, we must pray fervently for their conversion as well.

I invite you to pray individually and as a family, so that you are conscious of the great number of souls in China that need to receive the Good News of our Lord. I encourage you as a community, whichever organisation or ministry you are actively participating in, to pray constantly for the Church in China. In a special way, you can use the following prayer which Pope Benedict VI has composed.
Together with you in prayer,

Archbishop William Goh

Prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan
Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother,venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title "Help of Christians",  the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection. 

We come before you today to implore your protection. 

Look upon the People of God and, with a mother's care, guide themalong the paths of truth and love, so that they may always bea leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens. 

When you obediently said "yes" in the house of Nazareth,you allowed God's eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womband thus to begin in history the work of our redemption. 

You willingly and generously cooperated in that work,allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul,until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary,standing beside your Son, who died that we might live. 

From that moment, you became, in a new way,the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faithand choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his Cross. 

Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyedwith unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter.  

Grant that your children may discern at all times,even those that are darkest, the signs of God's loving presence. 

Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China,who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love. 

May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world,and of the world to Jesus. 

In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high,offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love. 

Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love,ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built. 

Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and forever. Amen!* Archbishop of Singapore

Underground Church in China and the Death of a Bishop

The following comes from the UCANews:

Retired Bishop Peter Liu Guandong of Yixian, former acting president of the “underground” Church community’s bishops’ conference, died on October 28 at the age of 94.

The Vatican-approved bishop, who escaped house arrest and lived in hiding for the last 16 years of his life, was buried in secret the following day by priests and laypeople, according to Church sources in Yixian, Hebei province.

An underground priest, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told ucanews.com that Bishop Liu was “a key figure” in the establishment of the bishops’ conference in 1989, which “contributed to the continual existence in China of a Church that is loyal to the Holy See.”

Born in 1919, Bishop Liu entered the seminary in 1935 and was ordained a priest in 1945.

In 1955, he was arrested and imprisoned for two years for opposing the independent Church movement.

In 1958, he was arrested again and received a life sentence for opposing the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, a government-sanctioned body that promotes an independent Church. When he was eventually released in 1981, he began to evangelize across China.

Liu was consecrated coadjutor bishop of Yixian in 1982 and became the ordinary four years later.

After suffering a stroke in 1994, he resigned from all his posts, but was placed under house arrest in Weigezhuang, his hometown.

In 1997, when he was unable to take care of himself, several priests managed to sneak him past his guards and rescue him from house arrest. He spent his remaining years in hiding, the sources said.

His successor Bishop Cosmas Shi Enxiang was detained by the authorities in 2001. He has not been seen since.

Sainthood cause of 16th-century Jesuit moves to Vatican

The following comes from the CNS:

Although it has taken more than 400 years, the sainthood cause of Jesuit Father Matteo Ricci, the 16th-century missionary to China, appears to be back on track.

Bishop Claudio Giuliodori, apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Macerata, Italy, where Father Ricci was born in 1552, formally closed the diocesan phase of the sainthood process May 10. The cause now moves to the Congregation for Saints' Causes at the Vatican.

Bishop Giuliodori had met Pope Francis, a Jesuit, at the Vatican the first week of May. He wrote in the Macerata diocesan newspaper, "I never imagined I'd be able to speak about the cause of Father Matteo Ricci with a Jesuit pope. After the great attention given by Benedict XVI, who never missed an occasion to encourage us to promote the cause, we now have the joy of placing it into the hands of a Jesuit."

The bishop said when he spoke to Pope Francis about the cause, the pope highlighted Father Ricci's "innovative method of evangelization based on the inculturation of the faith" and the missionary's courage and humility in learning from the Chinese.

Father Ricci died in Beijing May 11, 1610, and his death was followed by centuries of church debate and even disputes over the extent to which a very limited number of Confucian practices -- including veneration of ancestors -- could be seen as a tolerable part of Chinese social and cultural tradition rather than as religious practices incompatible with Christianity.

Marking the 400th anniversary of Father Ricci's death in 2010, retired Pope Benedict said Father Ricci's life and mission represented a "fortunate synthesis of proclaiming the Gospel and of dialogue with the culture of the people who are receiving it, an example of balance between doctrinal clarity and prudent pastoral action."

Father Ricci is also known for having brought European scientific instruments and knowledge to China, opening up a scientific exchange between the two continents, the now-retired pope had said. However, Father Ricci "didn't go to China to bring science, but to bring the Gospel, to bring God," the pope said.

The diocesan phase of Father Ricci's sainthood cause opened in 1984, but was almost immediately closed when questions were raised about his commitment to pure Christianity. Opened again with Vatican approval in 2010, much of the work the past three years has involved an examination by historians and theologians of Father Ricci's writings and of the writings of those who worked with him, according to the Macerata diocesan website.

Newly ordained Chinese bishop of Shanghai goes missing

Cardinal Joseph Zen, SDB: Our Lady Needs to Obtain Miracles

ROME, MAY 24, 2012 (Zenit.org).- "As the Holy Father told the faithful during a general audience recently, taking his example from the primitive Church, what we have to do in face of persecution is to pray so that we may have the courage to proclaim the truth with frankness," said Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong.

Speaking to ZENIT on today's World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, marked on the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, Cardinal Zen was recalling Pope Benedict's words given at his general audience April 18, in which he referred to the Acts of the Apostles (3:1--4:31).

The Pope explained that that passage, in which Peter and John "lifted their voices together to God" after being arrested for proclaiming Jesus' resurrection, revealed "an important basic attitude: when the first Christian community is confronted by dangers, difficulties and threats it does not attempt to work out how to react, find strategies, defend itself or what measures to adopt; rather, when it is put to the test, the community starts to pray and makes contact with God."

"In the case of the Church in China," Cardinal Zen said, "what we need most today is to be faithful to the true nature of the Church -- one, Catholic, apostolic, founded on the rock of Peter -- as the Holy Father clearly explained in his letter of 2007."

All over the world and especially in China, Catholics today offered up prayers for the suffering Church in the country -- a land where the faithful are forced to worship "underground" and where only the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association -- the official state-run "church" that does not accept the authority of the Pope -- is allowed for Catholics.

And although few media outlets have reported on it, the persecution continues. Just this week, news emerged that an underground diocesan administrator in China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Father Joseph Gao Jiangping, had been tortured and held in solitary confinement in a bid to have him join the Patriotic Association.

According to a May 24 report in UCANews, Father Jiangping, who is in his 40s, had been confined in isolation since he was taken into custody Feb. 15. He is said to be in poor physical condition "because of torture and continuous interrogation." He and other underground priests in the region remain in hiding and cannot carry out normal pastoral work because they have refused to support the Patriotic Association, the news agency reported. 

A veteran campaigner for religious freedom and human rights in the country, Lord Alton of Liverpool, noted that in view of such suffering, Pope Benedict's decision in 2007 to have this annual World Day of Prayer for the Church in China has been "both prophetic and vital in the struggle" to bring religious freedom to the country. 

As the Holy Father said on Sunday, all Catholics must "grow in their love and concern" for the Church in China "so that religious freedom, and the human rights that come from it, can be fully realized," the British peer told ZENIT. "China is a great country but as she grows economically she will need the values which Christians cherish. For the good of China's wonderful people, the Catholic Church and the Chinese authorities must embrace one another and harness the energy of Catholics rather than persecuting them."

Joseph Kung, founding president of the Cardinal Kung foundation, told ZENIT that the day of prayer is an opportunity for the universal Church to pray for "true freedom of religion, genuine human rights, and the ending of forced contraception and abortion rules in China." He suggested it was also important for Catholics to pray for the opening of the beatification cause of his uncle, Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei, "together with other numerous martyrs under Communist rule in China." 

"This will certainly be a very strong spiritual stimulus for the universal Church, especially for the Church in China," Kung said. Cardinal Kung, a hero to Chinese Catholics for his unwavering faith in the face of Communist persecution, spent 30 years in Chinese prisons before being released in 1985.

Since Pope Benedict XVI instituted the World Day of Prayer in 2007 in his Letter to Chinese Catholics -- a document aimed at encouraging the Chinese faithful and clarifying the Church's position in its relations with China -- little visible progress has been seen. The persecution of "underground" Catholics continues, bishops are sporadically ordained without the Pope's permission, and Holy See-Beijing relations remain chilly at best. 

"Nothing has changed since 2007," a Vatican official told ZENIT today, "but this is a process that could take 20 or 30 years." 

For Cardinal Zen, what is important is that the underground Church "persevere in their uncompromised stand" and for the "official community" to turn away from compromise, or as the cardinal puts it: "the contradictions between being in communion with the Holy Father and supporting an independent church." 

He means specifically new bishops appointed by the Holy See, yet who remain members of the Patriotic Association. Cardinal Zen believes that that situation remains unchanged since 2007 partly, he says, because the Vatican has given Chinese bishops conflicting messages, or appeared to encourage them to think that some degree of compromise with Beijing is possible.

The 80-year-old Salesian has long been a vocal critic of certain approaches by Vatican departments, often staffed as they are by officials who are not from China or who have not had direct, recent experience of the persecution and the suffering taking place there. So while he views the Pope and his letter as "a model of balance" between upholding the Church's principles and offering necessary pastoral sensitivity to Catholics who have made mistakes and even to the Chinese government, he tends to view officials as repeating the "ostpolitik" mistakes of the past, when the Church tried to compromise in a bid to make peace with Communist Russia and Eastern Europe.   

In a recent interview with Eglises d'Asie, a French Web site, Cardinal Zen explained why that is so perilous. He said the persecution of Catholics is actually becoming "more real and concrete" and on this point the government is showing no improvement. "They are employing increasingly dangerous and skilled methods, because they no longer stop at just threatening people, instead they are now leading them into temptation," he said. "They do not want to make martyrs, they want to encourage renegades. For the Church this is so much worse. They have the means to test people, good, weak or timid, and reduce them to obedience. Their tools are money, but also prestige, honor or positions in society." 

Cardinal Zen said this was already being witnessed in 2007, which is one reason why the Holy Father established the Day of Prayer on May 24. The cardinal recalled that the Chinese government's reaction to the letter was very negative. "Beijing did not want the Holy See to insinuate [the idea] that the Chinese Church is persecuted by civil authorities," he said. "For example, after the publication of the papal letter, in Hong Kong we wanted to organize a pilgrimage to Shanghai. But the Chinese authorities did not authorize us to do so. Since then, throughout the month of May, all pilgrimages to Sheshan have been banned for groups that are not from Shanghai. This means that the government is very unhappy that people say that the Church is persecuted in China. "

Yet the cardinal sees the letter as something not only "totally new and unique" but also "a very eloquent sign" of how much Benedict XVI cares for the Church in China. "The Holy Father expresses concern about the Church in China, of which he is informed in great detail," he said.

The outspoken cardinal told ZENIT he is not looking for reconciliation between Rome and the Patriotic Association. Instead, he said the reconciliation to hope and work for "is between the underground community and their brothers who are now still under the slavery of the Patriotic Association." 

The cardinal added: "Humanly speaking, we see no intention of the government willing to recognize religious freedom. … But God, through Our Lady Help of Christians, can work miracles."

Cardinal Zen on China's War Against the Catholic Church

The following comes from the Time Magazine blog:

For the third time in a year, China has declared war on the Vatican, according to one preeminent Cardinal. The Chinese government-sanctioned Catholic Church ordained Joseph Huang Bingzhang as a Catholic bishop July 14 in the city of Shantou, in southern Guangdong province. The move was made despite the express opposition of the Pope. This marks the third ordination without papal approval since last November, and has been viewed by the Holy See as an "unnecessary" and "spiteful" course of actions, according to Hong Kong's Bishop-Emeritus and current Cardinal, Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, SDB.

Zen, who wore a large, silver Jasmine flower pin — a recent Chinese symbol of revolution — on his left side while talking with TIME, said the church's main objection centers on the Chinese government's insistence on calling its state-run Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association legitimately "Catholic," yet impeding the papal prerogative within China.

"You can start a new church, but don't call it a Catholic church," says Zen.

For many decades, the officially atheistic Chinese government and the Catholic Church were largely at odds, even while the CPCA's stated goal was to help the religious community. Estimates of Chinese Catholics have ranged from four million to 14 million people. Two years ago, however, relations between the Vatican and Beijing largely normalized and ecclesiastical leaders leaders dared to hope that they would be allowed some autonomy in China, Zen says.

This proved to be false when the government ordained Joseph Guo Jincai as a bishop against the Pope's will last November, and then ordained Lei Shiyin as a bishop on  June 26. The latter ordination was the most offensive to the Vatican, according to Zen, because the now-excommunicated Lei was under official investigation by church authorities (several unconfirmed reports say this is for breaking his vow of celibacy by having an affair with a woman that resulted in the birth of a child.)

"All of this brings disgrace on our leader," Zen said. "This is a war."

Priests within China have struggled negotiating their allegiance to both the Pope and their country. While the Vatican has made official proclamations attempting to exert its influence, the government has allegedly used rougher measures.

Zen alleged that two separate Catholic bishops have been detained by the government for nearly 14 years, and their families are not allowed to visit them. Whether or not these accounts are in fact rumor, in the past decade, according to Zen, nationalism has begun to win out. "Before there were people, who in their heart were loyal to Rome. Unfortunately, recently, the Holy See has been forced to accept candidates who the Holy Father has called 'opportunists,'" he says.

But the July 14 ordination was the biggest insult of all, according to Zen. Four of the seven bishops who lead the ordination attempted to go into hiding as a way of avoiding participation, Zen says, but they were found by armed authorities and forced to ordain Huang.

Zen said he received multiple confirmations from Catholics within China as to the veracity of this story, but the perception is almost more important than whether or not the Chinese really did threaten even state-backed priests: if the Vatican believes its autonomy is under attack, then discontent is sure to mar all further interactions in China. "This last ordination is particularly bad," Zen said. "This is causing pain and division and surely is not contributing to 'harmony' which [the Chinese government] always say is their purpose."

Yet while the Vatican may direct its protestations at Beijing, Zen underscored that he did not believe the central government even knew, let alone cared, about the ordination conflict. Instead, he said, any force directed at priests and complete disregard for papal authority is more likely the dominion of the CPCA and the larger State Administration for Religious Affairs.

These bureaucratic organizations are led, according to the Pope in a 2007 decree, by "persons who are not 'ordained', and sometimes not even baptized," yet they "control and take decisions concerning important ecclesial questions, including the appointment of Bishops."

St. John Bosco in China

Don Bosco, whose name adorns over 2032 educational institutions and who has 16,385 Salesian followers all over the world, was a visionary - not merely metaphorically speaking, but literally. He had visions that, in his humility, he called 'dreams'. He himself has said that he never took a step, never initiated a project, unless he had been directed by heaven to do so.

On the night of 9th April 1886, two years before his death, Don Bosco had a dream in which he saw the future expansion of his work for youth. He saw himself surrounded by an immense crowd of youngsters. A shepherdess, the same he had seen in a dream at the age of nine, appeared and asked him to look to his left and read what he saw. He saw a mountain and a sea and then hills and then again further mountains and seas and read the words VALPARAISO and SANTIAGO. The shepherdess then asked him to look to his right, and he saw mountains and seas and read the word PEKING. He then saw a brilliant streak of light starting from Peking and

ending in Santiago, passing through the heart of Africa. And then, there appeared from Santiago to Central Africa ten Don Bosco Institutions. A little later there appeared from Central Africa to Peking ten other institutions. Over these he read the names of three great cities - Hong Kong, CALCUTTA, and Madagascar.

"How am I going to do all these" Don Bosco asked. "The distances are so immense and I have so few men to help me".

"Do not be afraid"! The shepherdess assured Don Bosco. This will be accomplished by your followers and the followers of your followers and their followers".

China: Don Bosco has come to get to know the young people of China

The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:

On Thursday 17 March, slightly ahead of schedule, the casket with the relic of Don Bosco arrived in the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong of the Chinese Peoples’ Republic.

“Saint John Bosco has come!” Fr Simon Lam, Superior of the “Mary Help of Christians Province of China” declared during the welcoming ceremony. Among those with the Provincial at the “Ex Skylimo International airport” was Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun, SDB, former Bishop of Hong Kong, and over 200 members of the local Salesian Family.

During the ceremony the Provincial recalled Don Bosco’s wish to send his spiritual sons to China and Don Rua eventually sending Fr Luigi Versiglia, who became a martyr saint for God and for China. Cardinal Zen Ze-Kiun spoke about the importance of the visit of the casket: “It is important to treasure these days that we can stay with Don Bosco, to pray for those who are in need especially abandoned young people. For Don Bosco`s confreres this is a chance for us to review our religious vocation and apostolic life.”

Then a Guard of Honour from Salesian Yip Hon Primary School and Salesian Yip Hon Millennium Primary School performed Giu’ Dai Colli to escort the Casket, while Cardinal Zen officiated at the ceremony.

On Friday 25 March the casket was welcomed at the Tang King Po Institute, in a ceremony at which the School Band and Choir performed. Also on this occasion Cardinal Zen Ze-Kiun and the Provincial both spoke. Referring to the relic of Don Bosco’s right hand said that Jesus used human’s hands to do his work and uses our heart to love others. Addressing the young people Fr Lam said that Don Bosco present among them through his relic was interested in them and would like to know about them and what their daily life was like so that he could lead them to Jesus.

Student representatives then expressed their wishes and prayed in front of the relic of Don Bosco with the intentions that temptations might be kept away from them, they might use their time well and spread the Gospel among their companions

The following day Saturday 26, in the church of Mary Help of Christians about 1500 young people gathered around the casket. With traditional dances, musical and theatrical performances they demonstrated the quality and breadth of their Salesian education and at the same time the characteristics of the Salesian Youth Movement: joy, cheerfulness, hard work, serving God enthusiastically, caring and serving others.

Among the young people present were 9 from Mongolia, accompanied by Fr Paul Leung, who with a video showed the Salesian mission in Mongolia.

Salesian Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai Makes 3 Requests at Ordination

The following comes from Zenit.org:
The newly appointed secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples prayed at his episcopal ordination for peace and the Church in China, he reported this week at his homecoming Mass in Hong Kong.

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, a native of Hong Kong, said this Monday during a public Mass in the city where he grew up and served for decades as a priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

The archbishop noted that St. John Bosco had advised that candidates to the priesthood may make three petitions to God, and that at his episcopal ordination, "I made three petitions."

The Salesian, who is the first Chinese to occupy a senior post in the Curia, was ordained to the episcopate Feb. 5 by Benedict XVI in the Vatican. He was named as secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples in December.

"Before my ordination," he revealed, "I asked for the peace on earth, and the spread of Gospel in China."

His said his third petition was for three more petitions.

The archbishop then traveled on Wednesday to Taiwan, where he will make his first pastoral visit as secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. His visit is under way through Sunday.

Pope Benedict Consecrates Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai SDB

Rocco at Whispers has a great posting on our newest Salesian Archbishop! Archbishop Savio Hon visited our community last Fall for a day of recollection with us and the Salesian Sisters! You are in our thoughts and prayers Archbishop! Here is the story from Whispers:

For just the third time in his nearly six-year pontificate, this morning saw B16 preside at an episcopal ordination in St Peter's as the Pope gave the high-hat to five recent appointees to senior posts in the Roman Curia.

Of the high-ranking group, however, one figure was arguably the linchpin of the pontiff's decision to reserve the rite to himself: the newly-named #2 of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, now Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai SDB, a native of Hong Kong -- and, more to the point, the first-ever Chinese tapped to serve in a top Vatican post.

Called to Rome in December amid escalating Sino-Vatican tensions centering on the church's prerogatives in the People's Republic, the 60 year-old Salesian theologian was a visiting professor at mainland seminaries and gave conferences to priests there over the last two decades, alongside his chief assignment at Hong Kong's formation house. In his new post, Hon (below) becomes second-in-command of the church's vast mission efforts worldwide as deputy to the "Red Pope" -- the Indian chief of the historic Propaganda Fide, Cardinal Ivan Dias.

Keeping the custom of his prior ordinations of bishops in 2006 and 2009, the Pope's homily today was a catechesis on the episcopal office. At this morning's Mass, however, the text's subtleties were conspicuously evocative of the situation of the Chinese church in its calls to perseverance and communion as the "pillars" of the prelates' new ministry and, by extension, "the life of the church."

For the record, the latter "pillar" was referenced nearly 70 times in Benedict's 2007 Letter to Chinese Catholics.

For the rest of the story from Whispers in the Loggia please click here.

You can read more on Archbishop Hon's consecration here.

Archbishop-elect Savio Hon Tai-Fai, SDB: “a builder of bridges with China”

The following comes from the Salesian News Agency:

The Chinese Salesian archbishop-elect Savio Hon Tai-Fai, recently appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, assumed his new office on January 21. “I would like to be a builder of bridges with China,” he said.

In an interview with the Fides Agency, in connection with his new role he said: “I thank the Holy Father Benedict XVI for having chosen me and especially for the concern and love he shows for Asia and for China in particular. I would also like to thank Cardinal Ivan Dias, prefect of the Propaganda Fide Department, for having welcomed me with great joy and cordiality. I notice that within the Congregation the atmosphere is very good, and I am very happy about this: I will be able to work with the collaboration of very competent people.”

He also expressed his great desire concerning his role in the missionary department: “In this, my new and delicate role, I would like to be an instrument in building bridges with China. At the beginning of this task I am very excited, and I am also aware of the responsibility of this role which covers such a broad field: taking care of the pastoral life of over 1,000 ecclesiastical areas. I hope that the evangelization of the Church and the missionary work of this Congregation can be given a fresh impetus, especially with regard to those countries of ancient traditions and cultures, such as China and India.”

Chinese Catholics Dedicate Sacred Heart of Jesus Statue

The following comes from the Spero News site:

A statue some 10 feet tall representing the Sacred Heart of Jesus, was inaugurated at the Cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Lan Zhou, Gan Su province in China. The base of the marble statue bears a Gospel verse reading, “Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened” (Mt 11:28), in Chinese and English, as an invitation to respond to call of Jesus.

The back of the base shows the peace prayer of St Francis of Assisi. On the right side of the base is the presentation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and on the left side, the special graces given to devotees of the Sacred Heart. According to diocesan sources, the statue is intended “to remind the faithful always of devotion to the Sacred Heart and the importance of prayer in daily life.” It is also a symbol of the Catholic faith and an invitation to “be promoters of evangelization aimed at all those who look at it”.

The Diocese of Lan Zhou now has over 350,000 faithful, 30 priests, 200 religious sisters from three congregations (Servants of the Holy Spirit, Holy Family, Daughters of Our Lady of China), 80 novices, 40 seminarians, 38 open churches. Bishop Han Zhi Hai has become famous for launching his courageous appeal for the unity of the Chinese Church in an open letter in January 2003. 

The inauguration of the statue, which embodies a centuries-old devotion on the part of Catholics that began in Europe, comes during a time of crisis for Catholics and other Christians in China. So-called 'house' churches among Evangelicals and Pentecostals are growing in number, even while the communist government chastises and imprisons Christian pastors and priests.

Pope Benedict Asks All Catholics to Pray for China

The following comes from the Zenit.org site:


Benedict XVI today asked for all Catholics around the world to pray for the Church in China, which he said is going through moments of particular difficulty.

The Pope made this appeal at the end of the general audience held in Paul VI Hall.

He thus alluded to the situation created by the illicit episcopal ordination of Father Joseph Guo Jincai, held in China on Nov. 20.

"I entrust to your prayer and to that of Catholics worldwide the Church in China that, as you know, is going through particularly difficult moments," the Holy Father said. "We ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, to support all the Chinese bishops, so dear to me, so that they will give witness to their faith with courage, placing every hope in the Savior we await. 

"Moreover, we entrust to the Virgin all the Catholics of that beloved country so that, with her intercession, they will be able to live an authentic Christian existence in communion with the universal Church, thus contributing also to the harmony and common good of their noble people."

Among the thousands of faithful gathered for the audience, there was a group of Chinese Catholics, who were enthusiastically welcomed by the crowd.

Painful wound

A Vatican communiqué a week ago affirmed that the Pope received the news of the ceremony "with deep regret, because the above-mentioned episcopal ordination was conferred without the apostolic mandate and, therefore, constitutes a painful wound upon ecclesial communion and a grave violation of Catholic discipline."

The Holy See was looking into the forced participation of prelates in the ceremony. Vatican opposition to the ordination of Father Jincai was expressed to Chinese authorities various times throughout the last year.

The communiqué noted the "serious canonical condition" that Reverend Jincai placed himself in, since Canon Law stipulates that in an episcopal ordination without pontifical mandate, both the one ordaining and the one ordained "incur a 'latae sententiae' excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See."

It expressed "regret that the authorities allow the leadership of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, under the influence of Mr. Liu Bainian, to adopt attitudes that gravely damage the Catholic Church."  Reverend Jincai is the vice secretary-general of the Catholic Patriotic Association. 

The Chinese government currently permits religious practice only with recognized personnel and in places registered with the Religious Affairs Office and under the control of the Patriotic Association.