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ROME -- Pope Leo XIV asked Sunday for prayers for China’s Catholics to beryllium successful communion with the Holy See, arsenic helium made his archetypal nationalist remarks astir 1 of the thorniest overseas policy issues facing his caller pontificate.
History’s archetypal American pope recalled that connected Saturday the Catholic Church marked a peculiar feast time to commune for the religion successful China. Pope Benedict XVI had initiated the feast time arsenic portion of his efforts to unify China’s estimated 12 cardinal Catholics who were divided betwixt an official, state-controlled religion that didn’t admit papal authority, and an underground religion that remained loyal to Rome done decades of persecution.
Leo noted that connected the feast time “in the churches and shrines successful China and passim the world, prayers person been raised to God arsenic a motion of the solicitude and affection for Chinese Catholics and their communion with the cosmopolitan church.”
Speaking from his workplace model during his noontime blessing, Leo prayed that Catholics successful China and elsewhere “obtain the grace to beryllium beardown and joyful witnesses of the Gospel, adjacent successful the midst of trials, to ever beforehand bid and harmony.”
Pope Francis took Benedict’s unifying efforts further by approving a controversial woody successful 2018 implicit bishop nominations. The details of the woody were ne'er released, but it affords the state-controlled religion a accidental successful its religion leaders, though Francis insisted helium retained veto powerfulness implicit the eventual choice.
The woody has been criticized by some, particularly connected the Catholic right, for having caved to Beijing’s demands and sold retired the underground faithful successful China. The Vatican has said it was the best woody it could get and it has been renewed periodically since then.
Leo volition person to determine whether to proceed renewing the accord. There person been immoderate evident violations connected the Beijing broadside with immoderate unilateral appointments that occurred without papal consent. The contented came to a caput conscionable earlier the conclave that elected Leo pope, erstwhile the Chinese religion proceeded with the preliminary predetermination of 2 bishops, a measurement that comes earlier authoritative consecration.
Leo told the archbishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Stephen Chow, that helium had “visited China respective times and got to cognize the Chinese civilization and reality,” according to the Fides missionary quality agency, citing comments Chow made successful his diocesan play newsletter aft the conclave.
Chow added that helium expected Leo would follow Francis’ direction for the religion successful China. He said helium had fixed Leo a tiny statue of Our Lady of Sheshan, a statue of the Madonna that is peculiarly venerated by Chinese faithful and is celebrated connected the feast day, May 24.
Chow, a Jesuit, said helium had implored Leo “to not hide the religion successful China and the Chinese people,” according to the newsletter. “He nodded his caput to bespeak that helium volition not forget,” according to Fides.
The Vatican has been working for years to effort to amended relations with China that were officially severed implicit 7 decades agone erstwhile the Communists came to power. Relations had agelong been stymied implicit China’s insistence connected its exclusive close to sanction bishops arsenic a substance of nationalist sovereignty, portion the Vatican insisted connected the pope’s exclusive close to sanction the successors of the archetypal Apostles.
The 2018 woody was aimed astatine uniting the flock, regularizing the presumption of 7 bishops who weren’t recognized by Rome and thawing decades of estrangement betwixt China and the Vatican.
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