Promoting Communion with the Church in China June 2012 Issue 46 In this issue: Page 1 - 2 Cardinal Tong Hon takes possession of titular Church. Page 3 Day of prayer for China as thousand gather. Page 4 - 5 Msgr. Savio Hon: episcopal Cardinal Tong takes possession of titular church ordinations with no papal mandate reveal Party’s ROME (SE): The bishop of Hong Kong, John Cardinal Tong Hon, lack of ideals and internal officially took possession of his titular church of S. Maria Regina degli Apostoli alla Montagnola (Mary Queen of the Apostles) in Rome, Italy, fighting. on February 18. It is located near the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Page 6 - 7 Matteo Ricci remembered The actual ceremony of the reading of the Rogito (deed of notaries) as a master mediator. of Taking Possession of the Church and the papal bull granting him title took place on April 20, at a concelebrated Mass in the church Page 8 hosted by the local parish priest. One of thousands of journeys to the baptismal Under a sunny sky, as the young people of the parish sang their font this Easter. welcome, the cardinal was greeted by the local parishioners at the main entrance of the church, above which his coat of arms has been Page 9 fixed. Solemn Commemoration - 450 years of Servant of The parish priest presented Cardinal Tong with a crucifix, which he God Paul Xu Guang Qi reverenced and, after blessing the gathering with holy water, the 20 concelebrants processed with the cardinal into the church. May 1 marked by strong Marian Devotion. They knelt briefly at the blessed sacrament altar, next to which a painting of Our Lady of Sheshan had been placed. Page 10 - 11 Vatican seeks to eliminate The Mass was celebrated in Latin. In his homily the cardinal shared the ambiguities surrounding with the people something of his life story and explained the four main Bishops in China. pastoral initiatives of the diocese of Hong Kong, spreading the faith, promoting vocations and providing pastoral care for non-Chinese Catholics in the diocese, as well as supporting the Church in China. Page 12 Prefect of Propaganda Fide While he spoke in English, Father Sergio Ticozzi, from the Pontifical reminds China that bishops Institute for Foreign Missions, gave a translation in Italian. are not political officials. Cardinal Tong then spoke of some of the pressing problems being experienced by the Church in China, mentioning the arbitrary arrests and detention of priests and bishops, as well as the difficulties created Columban Mission Institute Centre for China • China Exchange Editor: Paul McGee 167 Albert Road Strathfield, NSW 2135 • Postal Address: Locked Bag 2002 Strathfield, NSW 2135 Phone: (02) 9352 8011 • Fax: (02) 9746 8033 • Email: [email protected] • www.columban.org.au 2 by the illicit ordinations of bishops that have taken place recently. “The situation of the Church in China seems depressing,” he said, “especially if we consider that there are some illegitimate bishops running free, while at least a dozen faithful bishops and priests are still in prison,” as the government “continues to push towards creating an autonomous National Church… even by means of oppressive ways.” However, he added that there is a source of optimism founded upon the strong courage displayed by many Catholics in defending their faith, adding that optimism is founded upon the courage the Lord is inspiring in many Catholics to defend their faith. He said that he hopes that the new Chinese leadership that will be appointed later this year will be open to entering into a sincere dialogue with the Church and the Holy See. “I hope there will be dialogue. No problem can be resolved except through a sincere dialogue, where a win-win situation can be achieved. We hope and pray for an improvement in dialogue with the new leadership,” Vatican Insider quoted him as saying. He asked the people to pray for those who are suffering on the mainland so they may continue their journey with the risen Lord in communion and solidarity with the universal Church. Precious Blood Sister Goretti Lau prayed for Cardinal Tong, as well as for reconciliation and unity in the Church in China, asking that it may remain in communion with the universal Church. The deed of notaries was signed by Cardinal Tong and representatives of the parish, as well as members of religious congregations that are present in the area. The cardinal presented the parish with a collection of paper cuttings put together by a priest in Shaanxi province in China, as well as a hand-made crucifix, crafted by a member of the diocese in of Hong Kong, together with a laisee (monetary gift). The parish reciprocated with two figurines carved in wood of St. Peter and St. Paul. The day concluded with a reception for Cardinal Tong and his guests. Historically, cardinal priests were given a titular church in Rome as their parish and in 1059 the right to take part in the election of a pope was confined to the bishops of the seven local Church areas around the city, plus the cardinal priests in charge of these titular churches. Soon after, the custom grew of appointing cardinals outside of Rome and the tradition of cardinals being in charge of the titular churches began to die out. Today, a cardinal only has a patronal relationship with his titular church, but normally his name is inscribed somewhere and his coat of arms displayed. There are currently 143 such churches in or near Rome. Hong Kong Sunday Examiner http://sundayex. catholic.org.hk May 2012 Published: Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church of Hong Kong 3 Day of Prayer for China as Thousands gather In the past, Our Lady of Sheshan shrine used to draw up to 200,000 pilgrims on the feast day, from all over Fr Thaddeus Ma Daqin, vicar general of the Diocese China. of Shanghai, and 40 priests celebrated Mass. A large number of plainclothes police monitored worshippers Since 2008, a year after the pope set aside that day as a from other dioceses during the pilgrimage month. In Day of Prayer for the Church in China, the government Hebei, an underground priest and seminarian are has not allowed pilgrims from any diocese, except that arrested. Mgr Paul Li Yi, bishop of Luan (Changzhi, of Shanghai, to visit the shrine in Sheshan. Shanxi) dies. For this reason, many dioceses mark the feast day Sheshan (AsiaNews) - Thousands of pilgrims from in shrines closer to hope with Masses, Eucharistic Shanghai and across the country have gathered to adorations and vigils. pray at the Our Lady of Sheshan Basilica today, 24 This year, the feast day saw a new church consecrated May, feast day of Mary Help of Christians, anniversary in Shanxi province. of the Day of Prayer for the Church in China set aside by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007, a day that also marks Fr John, a priest from the open Church in Hebei the feast day of the national Marian shrine. province, told AsiaNews that he led a pilgrimage to Sheshan earlier this month. He found the security was Amid a drizzle, at half-past 8, Fr Thaddeus Ma Daqin, very tight, as many plainclothes police were monitoring vicar general of Shanghai, led the crowd of Catholics the pilgrimage site. in a procession from the Mid-hill Church, carrying the Statue of the Blessed Mother, up to the hilltop basilica. He said he prayed for the fervency of the faithful and unity in his diocese. Once at the hilltop church, Father Ma and almost 40 priests celebrated the Eucharist. Sheshan novices sang Similarly, several priests from various dioceses shared during the Mass. There were more than 3,000 faithful the same prayer intention. inside the basilica for the Mass. Some underground priests told AsiaNews that they In his homily, Father Ma explained the ‘Prayer to Our could not have big celebrations as security was tight, Lady of Sheshan’ written by Pope Benedict XVI for but they did remind their parishioners to pray for the this particular day, Joseph, a Shanghai Catholic, told suffering Church in China and for harmony in their AsiaNews. respective dioceses. He also called the participating faithful to give reverence “I especially prayed for the all the bishops and pastors to our Blessed Mother and to worship Jesus Christ. in China, especially those who are under detention. “Father Ma’s warm and emotional homily moved the May the Lord strengthen their faith. We feel lonely faithful at the scene,” Joseph said. in this struggle for the freedom of faith,” Fr Peter, an underground priest, noted. It rained throughout the Mass, but the hot and humid weather did not deter the pilgrims. “Instead, they prayed Last week, a priest and a seminarian from the zealously and fervently in the Mass,” he said. underground community in Baoding were taken into custody by police and taken to an unknown place. They are likely to undergo sessions of political indoctrination and brain washing to get them to join the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, whose goal is to control Catholics and set up a Church independent of the pope. Bishop Li Yi of Lu’an (Changzhi, Shanxi), 89, died this afternoon, on the special Day of Prayer for China. Ordained in 1949, he was consecrated as coadjutor of Changzhi in 1998. China Infodoc Service [china. [email protected]] Asia News www.asianews.it Shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan, Shanghai, China by Jian Mei 4 Msgr. Savio Hon: episcopal ordinations My first reaction is to pray that this does not with no papal mandate reveal Party’s happen.