News Archive China Chinese Catholic tells of years of persecution over religion WASHINGTON (CNS) -- To look at her, it is hard to believe the trials Catherine Ho has faced. The petite woman seems to radiate her Catholic faith. Ho, who was baptized a Catholic at age 15 in 1950, the year after the communists took power in China, spent 22 years in prison camps for "crimes against China" because of her religion. "We didn't oppose the government; we only wanted to practice our religion," Ho said. She and other Chinese Christians told their stories of persecution at a March 6 conference in Washington sponsored by the Population Research Institute. Recalling the days before her baptism, Ho said a nun at the Catholic school she attended told her she could delay joining the church because of the persecution it was facing. But Ho said, "Once God called me, I will follow him forever." In 1955, she was arrested with 100,000 priests and other Catholics for belonging to the Legion of Mary, which the government termed a "paramilitary" organization. Because she refused to join the government-approved church, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, she spent 22 years in prison camps. Church watchers say materialism biggest threat to church in China HONG KONG (CNS) -- Materialism and modernization pose a greater challenge than government control to the church in mainland China, church watchers said. Italian Father Gianni Criveller said government control of the church and its use of religion to serve the Communist Party's interests have not changed much in the past 20 years, while tremendous social changes during that time increasingly pose challenges to the formation of young priests and nuns, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions priest, a researcher at the Hong Kong Diocese's Holy Spirit Study Center, told 200 participants at a March 2 seminar on religious freedom in mainland China that young priests today face a new challenge from materialism. 10,000 Chinese Want IVF Babies Despite 25,000 Abortions Daily BEIJING, Mar 12, 03 (LSN.ca/CWNews.com) - In vitro fertilization authorities in Beijing have received 10,000 applications for test tube babies, says a report from Beijing Morning News -- in a country where at least 25,000 abortions are carried out every day. According to Dr. Zhang Lizhu of the No. 3 Clinical Hospital at Beijing University, the Communist-ruled country has 200 increasingly popular IVF clinics. But at least 10 million unborn children per year are eliminated through abortion and infanticide in China's hospitals and clinics. The World Health Organization has reported that 50 million women are now statistically "missing" due to sex-selective abortions over the past few decades. The IVF report comes only a month after mainland China opened its first abortion clinic just for teenagers, in south-western Chongqing province -- a move that the Beijing Star Daily predicts will increase promiscuity. During the clinic's first month, 300 girls knocked on the door, and several had abortions; one five-month unborn baby was aborted with permission from the under-18 mother's parents. Missionary from Tyrol loved, lived and died for China: he is remembered with affection Shantung (Fides Service) - Blessed Joseph Freinademetz 1852-1908, who will be canonised soon, was one of the first Divine Word Missionaries to work in China. He was born in South Tyrol and was ordained a priest in 1875. A year alter he joined the Society of the Divine Word Missionaries. In 1879 he was sent on mission to Hong Kong and two years alter he went to work in the Divine Word Mission in Shantung. He worked there for 27 years until he died in 1908. Fr Joseph fell in love with the people of China. In letters to his family and friends in Europe he wrote: "I love China and the Chinese people. I would like to die for them a thousands deaths, I want to die here among them and I wish I could be Chinese in heaven. If I could live all over again I would again want to be a missionary and to work in the south of Shantung". The SVD missionaries worked hard they built an orphanage, seminary, printing press, a church, a school. The local people returned this warmth and affection and they have not forgotten him. His life, and miracles attributed to his intercession are told from one generation to the next. Today the local Catholic community prays for his intercession. People want him to be canonised soon and they have entrusted to him the success of mission in China, that the Good News of Salvation in jesus Christ may reach the whole of China. (Fides Service 21/1/2003) The Rosary in the history of the Church in China Beijing (Fides Service) - In the history of the Church in China the rosary prayer has always had an important role. A Chinese priest tells Fides Service: "At times of difficulty the rosary prayer was a means to help the people to feel united. We could say it silently, counting the Hail Marys on our fingers. Besides being a mediation on the mysteries of our faith the prayer helps Chinese Catholics to keep in touch in spirit with the universal Church. Since the Holy Father gave us the new Mysteries of Light, the parishes in the diocese are trying to organise prayer groups to become accustomed to the new mysteries. The new mysteries are explained in the Beijing diocesan bulletin. In the past it was mainly a prayer for the elderly, but today more and more young people are leaning this Marian devotion and the churches are full at Rosary time." The Church in China begins the day with the rosary, early, usually at four am. People go to church to say the rosary and offer themselves and their day to the Lord. A rosary beads, whether made of simple or precious material, is also a welcome gift for Chinese Catholics. A young Catholic told Fides Service what the rosary prayer means to him. "In the early 1980s when there was no religious freedom, I remember seeing my grandmother hold her rosary beads, while her lips moved, and when I asked what she was doing she would never tell me. Some years later, Grandmother not only explained the Rosary prayer to us, she made me and my cousins learn it. Whenever a foreign visitor brought a present of a simple plastic rosary beads Grandmother would hold it lovingly like a treasure and then give it to one of us on the condition that we would promise to be good. I still have my plastic rosary which is now falling to pieces. Today I don't need Grandmother to make me say the prayer, I like saying it. The rosary has become part of my spiritual life and I feel the need to pray it with my prayer group. This simple prayer is a source of comfort, peace and hope for the great family of the universal Church". (Fides Service 18/12/2002) Chinese Laity in Bold Effort to Strengthen Underground Church BEIJING, Nov 27, 02 (CWNews.com) -- An organization of Chinese Catholic laymen has embarked on an ambitious new project to defend the "underground Church" loyal to Rome, and to rally the faithful of mainland China, using the internet. The new group, Chinese Roman Catholic Laymen (CRCL), has been established with the blessing of a bishop associated with the underground Church. But the effort is organized and directed by independent laymen. To shield the project from government interference, the internet site will be hosted by an American colleague. Material on the web site will be written in Chinese, to reach the Catholic population in China itself. However, rough English-language translations of the material are also available. Among its stated objectives, the CRCL web site mentions a determination to give the outside world clear and accurate information about the activities of-- and the difficulties facing-- the underground Church in China. [CWNews.com has been given a preview of the group's web site and evangelization plans. CWN will reveal the address of the CRCL web site as soon as it becomes available. The names of the organizer and webmaster will remain confidential.] Chinese Roman Catholic Laymen, in launching its internet site, will call upon the Beijing government to ease restrictions on the Church. The group cites the changes in Chinese society over the past generation, and suggests that the government's policy of maintaining strict controls on Catholic activity, through the "Patriotic Catholic Association," is now both outmoded and unnecessary. Catholics can be loyal to Rome and yet remain patriotic Chinese citizens, the group insists. At the same time, CRCL appeals to Catholics who are affiliated with the Patriotic Association, urging them to join with the underground Church and restore the unity of the faith in China. The web site acknowledges that some members of the Patriotic Association have quietly given their support and assistance to the underground Church, but observes that other Patriotic Church leaders have engaged in vicious criticism of the Holy See and of their fellow Chinese Catholics. "The Chinese Roman Catholic Church is the only legal branch in China of the Roman Catholic Church handed down by the apostles," the CRCL web site proclaims. And the group expresses confidence that despite current repression, the loyal Church will survive, and the Catholic faith will remain intact. "From the time when Father Matteo Ricci brought the Gospel to China in 1582, the Holy Church began to take root and germinated in the earth of China," the web site says. "For hundreds of years the Chinese Roman Catholic Church has experiences many hardships, but she has never withered away. She is always closely united with the Pope, our Holy Father." To faithful Catholics in China, CRCL issues a plea for prayer and for material help. Citing the growth of "paganism" in China, and the influence of hedonism, the group calls for a campaign of "Defensive Co-Prayer" among Catholics. "Crime, abortion, divorce, adultery, prostitution and homosexuality are increasing rapidly," the group reports, and the country needs prayer to reverse the trend. CRCL also asks faithful Catholics to pray the Rosary every day for the welfare and unity of the Church. In explaining the current situation facing the Catholic Church, CRCL points out that Chinese Catholicism was united prior to the Communist takeover in 1949. As the Communist government sought to eliminate all ideological opposition, the Catholic Church was persecuted, and eventually the "Catholic Patriotic Association" was set up under the aegis of the government. Today, Catholics who persist in their loyalty to the Holy See worship in secret, often subjected to government harassment. Ironically, CRCL points out, the loyal Catholic leaders of China were either imprisoned or underground in the late 1960s, when the Cultural Revolution swept through the country. Consequently it was the leaders of the Patriotic Church who bore the brunt of that campaign. In recent years, however, the Beijing government has allowed greater freedom and autonomy for the Chinese people, CRCL observes. In a message to government leaders, the web site remarks that "China has seen world-shaking changes, and its economy has developed so rapidly that the world's attention is now focused on the reformation and opening of the country." As one part of that reform, the group suggests, "We hope that the government will establish more dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church in China, in order to increase understanding and eliminate misunderstandings." The "underground Church" leaders insist that they have no designs to subvert the Beijing government. "The Roman Catholic Church values the power of the government and the sovereignty of the country," the web site announces. The group testifies that loyal Catholics are also loyal and productive citizens. And the web site concludes its discussion of political affairs with a frank statement: "We genuinely hope to see China and the Vatican establish diplomatic relations in the near future." While avoiding any direct criticism of the Patriotic Association, and emphasizing the need for unity among the Catholics of China, the CRCL web site is unflinching in its support for the underground Church and its loyalty to the Holy See. CRCL urges the faithful "to pray for the Catholics who do not have substantial communion with the Pope, in order to make them return to the Church as soon as possible." "The person who does not have communion with the Pope is not Catholic," CRCL boldly states; "and the Church that does not have communion with the Pope is not the Catholic Church." 2000 Catholics attend opening of new Marian Shrine Shan XI (Fides Service) - On November 3, some 2000 Catholic gathered in Shan Xi province in north west China for the official inauguration of a new church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus. The church, which stands on Mount Mary, is built in traditional Chinese style. The Mass of Dedication was presided by Bishop Sun Yuan Mo together with about thirty priests. This is the thirteenth new church built since the Chinese government relaxed its attitude towards religion. In China there is a growing tendency to build new churches in traditional Chinese style instead of the models of European architecture adopted earlier. (Fides Service 26/11/2002) Cardinal Wu of Hong Kong Dies Was a Strong Leader When Former British Colony Returned to China HONG KONG, SEPT. 23, 2002 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung, a key Church leader in China, died today after a long struggle with multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer, according to ecclesiastical sources. He was 75. He had been bishop of Hong Kong since 1975. In a telegram sent in memory of Cardinal Wu, John Paul II expressed his "immense gratitude for his fruitful and untiring cooperation with the Holy See and with me personally throughout my pontificate." "I am certain that his memory will live on in the community he so faithfully served, inspiring all to ever greater generosity in Christian living," the papal message states. The Pope sent the telegram to Hong Kong's Coadjutor Bishop Joseph Zen, who succeeds the cardinal. Hong Kong's political leader, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa, said he was "deeply grieved'" by Cardinal Wu's death and expressed his condolences to the Church. "He had worked tirelessly to serve the Catholic community and make a great contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong people,'' Tung said in a statement. John Baptist Wu was born on March 26, 1925, in Shui-tsai, Diocese of Kaying, southern China. After completing primary and secondary school, he studied theology and philosophy at the Academy of Theology in Southern China. He was ordained a priest on July 6, 1952, in Hong Kong. Given the restrictions imposed on him by the Communist regime, and having earned a doctorate in canon law in Rome and carried out his pastoral ministry in Hong Kong, he went to the United States -- New York, Boston, Chicago -- to gain practical legal experience. In 1957 he was sent to Taiwan and was assistant pastor of the Diocese of Hsinchu in Tou Fen and Ta Hu. He also was chaplain of the "Legio Mariae" (1957-1959). He then became parish priest of Hsin Miaoli. He was elected for two consecutive terms as member of the presbyterial council, and was also a member of the liturgical commission. From 1971-1972, he was moderator of the diocesan synod in Hsinchu. He was chosen bishop of Hong Kong on April 5, 1975, and was ordained the following July 25. In 1985 he lead a delegation to Beijing and Shanghai at the invitation of the Chinese government. It was the first visit to China made by a bishop of Hong Kong since 1949. The following year, 1986, he went to his native city Guangdung where, after 40 years of separation, he was able to visit his elderly mother and other relatives. He was made a cardinal by John Paul II in 1988. On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong returned under the sovereignty of the People's Republic of China. In a letter to the bishop of Hong Kong, dated June 24, 1997, John Paul II stated: "This service of evangelization and practical solidarity must not cease, and indeed it will surely increase now that the Diocese of Hong Kong is called, even more than before, to be in the midst of the Chinese nation the 'city set on a hill' and 'the lamp on a stand.' In the new historical circumstances, the Catholic community's mission will be to accompany all on the path towards further gains in social advancement, peace and solidarity." John Paul II has asked Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, to preside over Cardinal's Wu's funeral service in Hong Kong on Saturday. With his death, the College of Cardinals now has 171 cardinals, including 115 who could vote in a conclave for a new pope. Last week another Asian cardinal, Vietnamese native François Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân, died at age 74. ZE02092306 Underground Bishop of Qiqihar Arrested in China ROME, SEPT. 16, 2002 (Zenit.org).- Underground Catholic Bishop Wei Jingyi of Qiqihar, Heilongjiang province, has been arrested in northern China, a religious-rights group reported. Bishop Wei Jingyi, 44, who once served as secretary of a conference of Chinese bishops loyal to the Holy See, was detained by the authorities Sept. 9, the U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation reported. Bishop Wei was detained in a Chinese labor camp from 1987-1989 and from 1990-1992. The authorities and local police have given no further news on his whereabouts. Joseph Kung, president of the Cardinal Kung Foundation, said: "Currently, every one of the approximately 50 bishops of the underground Roman Catholic Church is either arrested, under house arrest, under strict surveillance, or in hiding." "The persecution of the underground Roman Catholic Church is obviously getting worse," Kung said in a statement. ZE02091701 Dozens Of Chinese Christians Arrested Ahead Of Communist Event BEIJING, Aug 24, 02 (CWNews.com) - Dozens of Chinese Christians have disappeared or been secretly arrested in recent months, according to a Chinese religious freedom group on Friday. The New York-based Committee for Investigation of Persecution of Religion in China said the Christians were members of underground or "house" churches. The Communist Chinese government requires Christians to worship only in state-controlled associations including the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which eschews any connections to the Vatican or the Pope. Many Catholics worship in churches that, while openly loyal to the government association, secretly pledge allegiance to the Pope. The Committee said the crackdown on Protestant and Catholic Christians came as the country prepares for the Communist Party's national congress, a major event which occurs about every five years. It has become customary for the police to arrest and detain people the authorities believe might embarrass Communist leaders during high-profile events. The committee compiled a list of 71 people who have allegedly been secretly arrested or have disappeared-- most in July. The list included the detainees' names, ages, addresses, brief descriptions of how they were arrested, and where they were held. Granny Xiu Lan, Elderly And Illiterate, Proclaims Jesus Christ To Young And Old Beijing (Fides Service 20/06/2002) - On the outskirts of Beijing in a village where most of the people are Catholics, one of the most loved villagers is Granny Xiu lan, Elizabeth, an elderly lady of 83 known to all for her great faith and devotion. In her youth Granny Xiu lan, suffered poverty and hunger. Today , although her back is bent, she is still the first to arrive in church for the first early morning mass at 5.30. After the last mass of the day she insists on staying behind to tidy up the church ready for tomorrow. What is more every day after Mass granny Xiu lan sets out to visit the sick, walking as many as twenty kilometres to reach people who have no relations or friends. She prepares a simple meal but her main purpose is to speak about Jesus Christ. Her own family know she will be home only in the evening. With her example and works of charity Granny Xiu lan, has led many to the faith: at least 20 elderly people have become Catholics and also numerous young girls. When people ask Granny Xiu lan where she finds the energy for such a full day she says: "We are God's children. He looks after each one of us. Think how sad it is when someone dies without knowing that there is an all merciful God in heaven. This thought makes me so sad. It is our duty to share with all our neighbours the Good News of Jesus Christ". A miracle: Two Catholic Sisters Open 20 Schools for Lepers in Poorest Areas Yunnan 3/6/2002 (Fides Service ) - In August 1994 the local governemnt authorities asked two Catholic nuns Sr. Maria Pia and Sr. Deolinda and other members of the Macao dioces to visit the lepersy centres in thYunnan province, on the border with Myanmar. This was the first time that the Catholics nuns came into contact with lepers who live isolated in districts of Choi Hong, Cheong Van and Tai lee. In this part of the world leprosy affects almost 98% of the population, many of whom are children and young people. These children are unable to attend school. In September 1995, with the permission of the local Health and Education authorities, the nuns arranged for elementary 20 schools to be opened in 20 lepers colonies. In 1996 two more school were opened and at the moment 530 children receive elementary education at these schools. Moreover the nuns have made arrangements for 464 children of lepers to attend regular schools and for the children to be inserted in society. Fujian: Two Catholic Churches Destroyed CHINA, 22 MAY 2002 More persecutions against Christians in China. Two Catholic churches situated in the outskirts of Shangle (Fujian, Southeastern province of China), were destroyed last Sunday during a campaign against the underground Church, faithful to the Vatican and disliked by Beijing. It was only recently announced by the local media, specifying that various people arrived on site with two bulldozers and completely destroyed the two sacred buildings, after having urged the residents to stand aside. Five churches were already destroyed last year in Shangle, each of which could host 2,500 followers. For at least two years the local authorities have increased the control on clandestine catholic churches, faithful to the Pope and not subjugated to the government of Beijing, which is against the patriotic and official Church. Many priests are forced to live clandestinely in fear of being arrested and numerous families have also been forced to adhere to the patriotic Association. Furthermore, places of worship are frequently destroyed, just as the episode in Shangle. (CO) back to index of Chinese articles