HONG KONG, Oct. 30, 00 (CWNews.com/Fides) - Chinese Catholics on Sunday, celebrated a Mass in honor of the 120 Chinese martyrs canonized by Pope John Paul II in Rome on October 1, rejecting Beijing's smear campaign against the new saints.
The celebration was presided over by Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-Chung, together with Coadjutor Bishop Joseph Zen, Auxiliary Bishop John Tong, and Abbot Clement Kong of the Our Lady of Joy Trappist Monastery at Lantau. More than 1,200 attended, mostly local Catholics.
Beijing had banned all public ceremonies in China for the new martyr-saints and also advised the diocese of Hong Kong to keep celebrations for the canonization "low key." The government even led a campaign in September and October against the new saints - calling the martyred Chinese Christians "enemies of the people" and the martyred foreign missionaries "instruments of Western imperialism" and men of "dissolute morals."
The Communist Chinese government requires mainland 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 illegal, underground churches following only bishops appointed by the Pope.
The liturgy included a solemn procession to replace the martyrs' relics in the Chapel of the Passion in the Cathedral apse. Among the congregation, were many young people who stayed on after the Mass to pray silently in front of the relics of the new Saints. Also attending the Mass were the owner of the Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, Jimmy Lai Chee-ying who recently became a Catholic, and Martin Lee Chu-ming, leader of the Democratic Party in Hong Kong. Not present were Catholic members of the Special Administration Regional government such as Mrs. Anson Chan, Secretary General, and Donald Tsang, Finance Secretary.
Martin Lee said Beijing had attempted to interfere with religious freedom in Hong Kong, but that the diocese handled the situation very well. Before the canonization, Coadjutor Bishop Joseph Zen stated that the Church in Hong Kong has every right to celebrate the canonization. He noted that the anti-canonization campaign was a sign that the Chinese government and the Patriotic Association are afraid as they see the official Catholic Church in mainland China draw steadily away from their control and nearer to Rome. The only answer from the Patriotic Association was an ideological indoctrination campaign throughout the mainland and "no" to several planned pilgrimages to China by Hong Kong Catholics.
CWN - Catholic World News
30. oktober 2000