Pope Francis entrusts China to the Blessed Virgin Mary

China is home to over 10 million Catholics, with six million registered as members of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, according to official statistics.



VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis Domenica entrusted China to the Blessed Virgin Mary and asked people to pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the most populous country in the world.

"Dear Catholic brothers and sisters in China, I wish to assure you that the universal Church, of which you are an integral part, shares your hopes and supports you in trials", said Pope Francis on May 24 after the prayer of Queen Caeli.

"He accompanies you in prayer for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit, so that the light and beauty of the Gospel, the power of God for the salvation of whoever believes, can shine in you," said the Pope.

Pope Francis imparted a special Apostolic Blessing to China for the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians. The Marian shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai, dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians, remains closed on this holiday after the diocese of Shanghai has suspended all pilgrimages for the month of May to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

"We entrust to the pastors and faithful of the Catholic Church in that great country the guidance and protection of our Heavenly Mother, so that they may be strong in faith and firm in fraternal union, joyful witnesses and promoters of charity and fraternal hope, and good citizens" said Pope Francis.

"May Our Lady always protect you!" He added.

In his address to Regina Caeli, the pope reflected on Jesus' words recorded in Matthew's Gospel for the feast of the Ascension of the Lord: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. "

China is home to over 10 million Catholics, with six million registered as members of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, according to official statistics.

In 2018, the Holy See and the Chinese government signed a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops in the state-sponsored church, the terms of which have not yet been made public. In the wake of the agreement, the previously excommunicated bishops of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which is controlled by the Communist Party, were received in full communion with the Vatican.

A report published in 2020 by the Chinese Commission of the United States found that Chinese Catholics suffered "increasing persecution" after the Vatican-China agreement. He said the government was "demolishing churches, removing crosses and continuing to detain underground clergy." Priests and bishops were reportedly arrested or hiding.

Earlier this week, the Vatican revealed that Catholics in China were able to use the most popular state-monitored Chinese social media platform, WeChat, to stream Pope Francis' daily mass during the pandemic of coronavirus.

It is unclear whether Catholics in China were also able to watch the livestream of this Sunday Marian prayer for their country on WeChat due to the strong censorship of all Chinese online media.

Pope Benedict XVI established the custom of praying for China on the Marian feast of Our Lady Help of Christians in 2007, and composed a prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan for the occasion.

Pope Francis entrusted to the intercession of Mary Help of Christians all Christian disciples and all people of good will who work for peace, dialogue between nations, service to the poor and the protection of creation.

The pope also celebrated the fifth anniversary of the publication of his environmental encyclical, Laudato si '. He said he wrote Laudato Si to "draw attention to the cry of the Earth and the poor".

Pope Francis spoke during his speech to Regina Caeli through a live streaming video recorded in the library of the Vatican Apostolic Palace. However, for the first time in more than 10 weeks, people were allowed to be present in St. Peter's Square when the pope appeared at the window to give a blessing.

Each person who entered the square was required to wear a face mask and a social security system for people gathered outside St. Peter's Basilica, which was reopened to the public on May 18th.

After more than 5 million people around the world were documented with COVID-19, the pope asked Our Lady Help of Christians to intercede "for the victory of humanity over all diseases of the body, heart and soul".

"The feast of Ascension tells us that Jesus, although he ascended to Heaven to dwell gloriously on the right hand of the Father, is still and always among us for us to draw strength, perseverance and joy," said Pope Francis.