I received "two jewels" today, the Solemnity of St. Paul the Apostle, a feast we celebrate together in the Pauline Family. The first gem is the celebration of the 100th anniversary of priestly ordination of our Founder, Blessed James Alberione. For those who would like to follow the celebration which we had this morning in the crypt of the Sanctuary of Regina Apostolorum here in Rome, you could visit the renewed website of Alberione.org
The second jewel and motive for joy and thanksgiving is the publication of Pope Benedict’s promised letter to the Catholic community in China. Here’s how he introduced this letter: "I wish, therefore, to convey to all of you the expression of my fraternal closeness. With intense joy I acknowledge your faithfulness to Christ the Lord and to the Church, a faithfulness that you have manifested ‘‘sometimes at the price of grave sufferings'',1 since ‘‘it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake'' (Phil 1:29). Nevertheless, some important aspects of the ecclesial life of your country give cause for concern. Without claiming to deal with every detail of the complex matters well known to you, I wish through this letter to offer some guidelines concerning the life of the Church and the task of evangelization in China, in order to help you discover what the Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, ‘‘the key, the centre and the purpose of the whole of human history'' wants from you."
The second jewel and motive for joy and thanksgiving is the publication of Pope Benedict’s promised letter to the Catholic community in China. Here’s how he introduced this letter: "I wish, therefore, to convey to all of you the expression of my fraternal closeness. With intense joy I acknowledge your faithfulness to Christ the Lord and to the Church, a faithfulness that you have manifested ‘‘sometimes at the price of grave sufferings'',1 since ‘‘it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake'' (Phil 1:29). Nevertheless, some important aspects of the ecclesial life of your country give cause for concern. Without claiming to deal with every detail of the complex matters well known to you, I wish through this letter to offer some guidelines concerning the life of the Church and the task of evangelization in China, in order to help you discover what the Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, ‘‘the key, the centre and the purpose of the whole of human history'' wants from you."
I personally had the chance to visit China for the first time in May last year. Since then, I haven't stopped praying for the much desired opening of the Chinese nation to the freedom of religious expression.
Let us continue praying then that this intrepid move of the Holy Father be taken positively by those who rule the nation and that they would finally understand that total development includes the growth of the spirit and soul.
If you want to read the entire letter, you can go here.
