Pope prays for Chinese Catholics and addresses delicate topics

Pope prays for Chinese Catholics and addresses delicate topics

The Pope Leo XIV asked for prayers for the Catholics in China on Sunday, in order to be in community with the holy chair. These were his first public statements about one of the most difficult foreign policy problems concerned.

Special honor for the Catholic Church in China

The first American Pope in history recalled that the Catholic Church celebrated a special holiday on Saturday to pray for the church in China. Pope Benedict XVI. Had initiated this holiday to unite the estimated 12 million Catholics in China, which was shared between an official, state -controlled church that did not recognize the authority of the Pope, and a underground church that was loyal to Rome despite decades.

prayer and hope

Papa Leo emphasized that prayers in China and sanctuary were raised to God in the churches and sanctuaries in China and all over the world, as a sign of concern and affection for the Chinese Catholics and their community with the universal church. " At his midday blessing, Leo prayed that the Catholics in China and elsewhere “get the grace, to be strong and joyful witnesses of the gospel, even in the middle of exams to always promote peace and harmony.”

Controversial Agreement of 2018

Pope Francis continued Benedikt's efforts by approving a controversial agreement on bishop nominations in 2018. The details of the agreement have never been published, but it enables the state -controlled church to have a say in the appointment of its church leaders, although Francis existed that he retains veto law about the final election.

criticism and challenges

This agreement was criticized by some, especially from the Catholic conservative spectrum, because it was feared that it was a surrender to Beijing's requirements and revealed the loyal believers in China. The Vatican said it was the best that could be achieved and has been renewing it regularly since then.

decisions for the future

Papa Leo will now have to decide whether he would like to continue to renew the agreement. Recently there have been some obvious violations of Beijings, including one -sided appointments that were made without papal approval. The situation escalated shortly before the conclave, which Leo voted Pope when the Chinese church continued with the preliminary choice of two bishops, a step that precedes the official consecration.

relationships with the Catholic Church in China strengthen

Leo informed the Archbishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Stephen Chow, about the fact that he "visited China several times and got to know Chinese culture and reality," said the Fides mission news agency, who quoted Chow's statements from his weekly diocesan leaves after the conclaved.

a symbolic gift and the expectation of the believers

chow, a Jesuit priest, said that he had asked Leo to "not forget the church in China and the Chinese people". "He nodded to show that he will not forget it," added Fides.

efforts to improve relationships

The Vatican has been trying to improve the relationship with China for years that were officially broken off over seven decades ago when the communists came to power. These relationships have long been blocked by China's perseverance on his exclusive right to appoint bishops as a question of national sovereignty and the claims of the Vatican, that only the Pope has the right to appoint the successors of the original apostle.

The goals of the 2018 agreement

The 2018 Agreement had the goal of unite the municipality to regulate the status of seven bishops that Rome did not recognize and to overcome decades of alienation between China and the Vatican.