ROME — Pope Leo XIV requested Sunday for prayers for China’s Catholics to be in communion with the Holy See, as he made his first public remarks about one of many thorniest foreign policy points dealing with his new hold forth.
Historical past’s first American pope recalled that on Saturday the Catholic Church marked a particular feast day to wish for the church in China. Pope Benedict XVI had initiated the feast day as a part of his efforts to unify China’s estimated 12 million Catholics who have been divided between an official, state-controlled church that didn’t acknowledge papal authority, and an underground church that remained loyal to Rome by way of many years of persecution.
Leo famous that on the feast day “within the church buildings and shrines in China and all through the world, prayers have been raised to God as an indication of the solicitude and affection for Chinese language Catholics and their communion with the common church.”
Talking from his studio window throughout his noontime blessing, Leo prayed that Catholics in China and elsewhere “receive the grace to be sturdy and joyful witnesses of the Gospel, even within the midst of trials, to at all times promote peace and concord.”
Pope Francis took Benedict’s unifying efforts additional by approving a controversial deal in 2018 over bishop nominations. The small print of the deal have been by no means launched, nevertheless it affords the state-controlled church a say in its church leaders, although Francis insisted he retained veto energy over the final word selection.
The deal has been criticized by some, particularly on the Catholic proper, for having caved to Beijing’s demands and offered out the underground devoted in China. The Vatican has mentioned it was the best deal it could get and it has been renewed periodically since then.
Leo must determine whether or not to proceed renewing the accord. There have been some obvious violations on the Beijing facet with some unilateral appointments that occurred with out papal consent. The difficulty got here to a head simply earlier than the conclave that elected Leo pope, when the Chinese language church proceeded with the preliminary election of two bishops, a step that comes earlier than official consecration.
Leo advised the archbishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Stephen Chow, that he had “visited China a number of instances and bought to know the Chinese language tradition and actuality,” in line with the Fides missionary information company, citing feedback Chow made in his diocesan weekly publication after the conclave.
Chow added that he anticipated Leo would follow Francis’ direction for the church in China. He mentioned he had given Leo a small statue of Our Woman of Sheshan, a statue of the Madonna that’s significantly commemorated by Chinese language devoted and is widely known on the feast day, Could 24.
Chow, a Jesuit, mentioned he had implored Leo “to not overlook the church in China and the Chinese language individuals,” in line with the publication. “He nodded his head to point that he won’t overlook,” in line with Fides.
The Vatican has been working for years to try to improve relations with China that have been formally severed over seven many years in the past when the Communists got here to energy. Relations had lengthy been stymied over China’s insistence on its unique proper to call bishops as a matter of nationwide sovereignty, whereas the Vatican insisted on the pope’s unique proper to call the successors of the unique Apostles.
The 2018 deal was geared toward uniting the flock, regularizing the standing of seven bishops who weren’t acknowledged by Rome and thawing many years of estrangement between China and the Vatican.
___
Related Press faith protection receives assist by way of the AP’s collaboration with The Dialog US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely accountable for this content material.