ASIA/CHINA - Chinese Catholics pray for the recovery of Pope Francis

Friday, 7 March 2025 local churches penance lent the elderly diseases pope francis

CHINA

2025-03-07
Chinese Catholics pray for the recovery of Pope Francis

2025-03-04
The Bishops of Shanghai and Hong Kong pray together for the Pope's health at the Marian Shrine of Sheshan

2025-03-03
Lent in the Catholic community in Beijing: a daily work of charity

2025-02-27
The life of Matteo Ricci is being studied in the Beijing parish he founded 420 years ago

2025-01-27
The Lunar New Year of Chinese Catholic communities: Blessing for families, visits to hospitals, works of charity

2025-01-23
Bishop Joseph Cai Bingrui transferred from the diocese of Xiamen to the episcopal see of Fuzhou

Shanghai (Agenzia Fides) - Chinese Catholics are living the Lenten period of the Jubilee Year with spiritual meditations that also consider the frailties linked to old age and illness in the light of Christian hope, finding consolation also in the testimony that Pope Francis is giving in these days. According to reports on the Church information website "xinde.org" and the websites of several Chinese dioceses, the prayer for the sick Pope is linked to the Jubilee Lenten formation courses focused on hope.

In the spiritual meditations led by the priests of the Diocese of Suzhou, one of the themes of community reflection referred to the condition of Pope Francis and how praying for his health is a way of caring for and praying for the sick elderly. All the priests of the diocese participated in the Lenten retreat led by Fr. John Baptist Zhang, founder of xinde.org, which revolved around the central theme of "Taking refuge in the desert to meet the Lord." At the end of February, the priests, together with Bishop Joseph Xu Honggeng, experienced a four-day period of Eucharistic adoration, reflecting on the experience of suffering in the light of the Eucharistic sacrifice.

For the elderly of the Hongkou Parish (Shanghai Diocese), dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Lenten retreat was about accompanying the elderly in old age. Fr. Niu Suqing noted, "Old age is not a sunset, but longevity is a blessing from God. Deep faith helps us to embrace old age, suffering and even illness, and to carry this cross with a Christian attitude, considering its value." The priest specifically referred to the way St. John Paul II experienced suffering and how Pope Francis experiences it now. At the same time, the parish recognized the preciousness of the elderly parishioners as witnesses of faith and hope and expressed the desire to promote initiatives to support and comfort the elderly. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides, 7/3/2025)