Pope Francis helps provide mooncakes for 10,500 prisoners in Hong Kong

Vatican Insider ^ | 09/18/2013 | gerard o'connell

[haffast]

More than 10,000 prisoners in Hong Kong will receive mooncakes on China’s Moon Festival, which this year falls on September 19, thanks also to the interest of Pope Francis in them.

He not only endorsed this year’s Catholic initiative to provide mooncakes to the prisoners, he also gave a symbolic sum of money and, importantly too, encouraged the Catholic faithful in Hong Kong diocese to donate to the initiative.

The Pope came to know about the project thanks to Cardinal Joseph Zen, the emeritus bishop of Hong Kong. He told me that he wrote to Pope Francis after the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro and described the project to him because he knows the Argentinean Pope is keen on charitable works and wants to be as close as possible to those on the peripheries of life, such as prisoners.

‘Mooncakes’ are a traditional pastry eaten during the commemoration of one of China’s principal festivals, the mid-autumn Moon Festival. This event brings families together to celebrate the beautiful fact that we all see the same moon.

snip

[haffast]

The Mid-Autumn Festival - Moon Worship

"An important part of the festival celebration is moon worship. The ancient Chinese believed in rejuvenation being associated with the moon and water, and connected this concept to the menses of women, calling it "monthly water".[3] The Zhuang people, for example, have an ancient fable saying the sun and moon are a couple and the stars are their children, and when the moon is pregnant, it becomes round, and then becomes crescent after giving birth to a child. These beliefs made it popular among women to worship and give offerings to the moon on this evening.[3] In some areas of China, there are still customs in which "men don't worship the moon and the women don't offer sacrifices to the kitchen gods."[3]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Autumn_Festival#Moon_worship

[To Hell With Poverty]

Cardinal Zen? Really? LOL

[bert]

no Moon Pies?

discrimination!

[steve86]

You need to identify satire as such. wait...

[GreyFriar]

And NO RC Colas?

[Tijeras_Slim]

Beat me to it!

[Responsibility2nd]

Isaiah 1:14
Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.

(except for mooncakes. I loves me some mooncakes.)

[yldstrk]

Pope Francis go away

You are supposed to have a low profile and be praying not gallivanting around like the Kardashians

[SuziQ]

I work with a gal from Taiwan, and the other day, she brought in some moon-cakes to share. They were delish!

[vladimir998]

How many recent popes have had a “low profile”?

[Jeff Chandler]

[Winstons Julia]

He’s said to be very relaxed.

[WKUHilltopper]

Leaded or unleaded moon cakes?

[stellaluna]

This sounds nice but who are these prisoners? Should we donate sweets for the rapists, robbers, killers, and swindlers in our prisons as well?