Message of Youths Unable to Travel to Rome
ROME, AUGUST 11 (ZENIT.org-FIDES).- The international agency "Fides" received a message from a group of young Chinese Catholics for the young people who will attend the World Youth Day in Rome. The message is from lay people and priests who work in the "official" Church in northern China. Many of them would have liked to be in Rome for the Youth Day, but have been prevented for bureaucratic and political reasons.
At the end of July, Anthony Liu Bainian, secretary general of the Patriotic Association, said there would be no Chinese delegation attending the Youth Jubilee. In their message to "Fides," the young people from the mainland say they are very sad about this. Nevertheless, they remain united in spirit with the Pope and in the faith of the Catholic Church, as well as opposed to all those who want to keep the Church in China separate from the universal Church.
The message of the Chinese Catholic youth reads as follows: "The 15th World Youth Day will be held in Rome. Once again, the universal Church will hold a Youth Celebration, giving us another great opportunity to take part in this event. However, once again, we young people on mainland China will be unable to share this event with the young Catholics of the rest of the world. This makes us very sad and disappointed. Nevertheless, the Great Jubilee has given us new hope and light. Filled with this hope we, the youth of China, march into the new millennium enlightened by this splendid light. We want to overcome the evils of the past with courage, and live our Christian life in the light of our faith."
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