Yes, there are actions taken by Church hierarchy that at times confuse me, grieve me, and make me want to ask questions. But there is one issue that makes me come close to cursing. And that is the abandonment of Chinese Catholics who chose not to live a compromised Faith, and in so doing experience persecution. Meanwhile, our Church hierarchy supports a "Patriotic Church" where the Chinese government "authorizes" new dioceses and approves which clergy can be elevated to the bishopric! To me it reeks of abandonment and I grieve. But Mario, you don't know all the facts! But what I do see are faithful Chinese Catholics, and faithful Cardinal Zen, who set a marvelous example for me in rejecting a compromised church. For our day will come soon enough to chose with which Church each of us will align. May I follow the example of Cardinal Zen and the obedient flock of China! https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/...3625fd-bb5052b3fb-387680386&mc_cid=bb5052b3fb
I must try and remember to try and start pray for these poor people every day. Also for the persecuted Church all over the World. But for me the biggest concern is not these poor people themselves but a Church Leadership that goes along with this. A ten year old child could tell you in two seconds that this is pure evil yet two Popes have gone along with it.
I console myself with the thought that this dry martyrdom of the Chinese Catholics, and of Chinese Christians in general, will have its effects revealed when the Chinese communists are eventually consigned to the dustbin of history. The people of the East, as we know from the history of the Japanese, are second-to-none at secretly clinging to cherished beliefs in the face of persecution. I expect that there will be huge surprise when the number of Chinese Christians is ultimately revealed. Of course, it’s an inglorious episode in the history of the Vatican. Nothing new there, a similar thing happened with respect to the Soviet Union: ‘Ostpolitik’ as it was known at the time. Eventually torpedoed by Saint JPII.
It's not a good look for the Vatican, 'go along to get along'. The curch is called to be the light and salt for the world. Her light is now obscured by the evil that has overtaken Rome but we know that has to be destroyed and will.
I met a retired missionary priest at a funeral recently and in conversation he said he had spent almost 20 years in China. He explained he was there mainly to give support to the people and if he was to take part in the underground church, he ran the risk of being discovered and being deported. Then he would be of no use to anyone there, he said. Our conversation was short and I'm sure there was much more he could say but I left wondering what difference was between him and a social worker.
A cousin of my father's was a missionary priest in China .I think it would have been in 1930/40. He disappeared in mysterious circumstances.
Fulton Sheen used to tell lovely stories about China. There was one little girl who was shot and who I think her cause for Canonisation in Rome: The Story of Little Li During the Communist persecution in China, soldiers desecrated a local church, throwing consecrated Hosts onto the floor. A missionary priest hiding nearby witnessed a remarkable and courageous sequence of events: [1, 2, 3, 4] Nightly Visits: Each night, a young girl named Li slipped past the guards to enter the ransacked church. [1] Reverent Consumption: Because church law at the time forbade the laity from touching the Host with their hands, she knelt and consumed one Host each night by pressing her tongue directly to it. [1, 2] The Final Night: On the night only one Host remained, she was discovered by a guard as she came to receive it, and she was martyred on the spot. [1, 2] Fulton Sheen's Vow Fulton Sheen heard the priest's first-hand account of this tragedy after the missionary escaped China. Deeply humbled and inspired, Sheen reasoned that if a young child could display such an intense love and profound courage for the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, he—as a bishop—was bound to do the same. [1, 2, 3] He credited her ultimate sacrifice as the catalyst for his own unwavering devotion, often sharing her story on his television and radio programs to emphasize the importance of Eucharistic adoration.
Well he did a lot more than I ever did. Catholic Prophecy says China will be converted. I know it sounds impossible but there you are.
When I have the privilege of baptizing a female infant, I frequently use the example of little Li as a lesson for the parents and family: the raising of a child in the Faith from early on can quickly produce a saint!
