Yes.
(Cardinal Joseph Zen on the left)
Next stupid question, byte?
Posted on 05/02/2025 11:26:07 AM PDT by ebb tide
(Stella Maris Media) — First and foremost, the Church in China mourns the loss of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace.
Now that the pontificate of Pope Francis has come to an end, and the cardinals are preparing to gather in conclave to elect the next Holy Pontiff, I write this open letter to you – cardinal electors – with a burdened conscience and a deep sense of urgency.
This is not a letter campaigning for a specific candidate. It is a heartfelt appeal – a plea to listen to the cries of my people, who are truly suffering.
Since signing the Provisional Agreement [Sino-Vatican deal] on September 18, 2018, the Church in China has been thrown into chaos and turmoil. Out of reverence for the Office of St. Peter, we have remained silent to prevent scandal among the faithful, like a lamb led to the slaughterhouse.
“He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
But just as Our Lord rose from the dead, so too must the Chinese people rise. Like the Resurrection, a new day must dawn for us. As you discern who will lead the Church in the coming years, we beg you not to forget China.
READ: China ‘elects’ two bishops, rejecting Vatican authority
There are 1.47 billion Chinese people in the world – more than the entire population of Europe or the Americas. That is approximately 18 percent of the global population. Nearly one in five human beings is Chinese.
With that in mind, the next pontificate must prioritize the Church’s mission in China. As Pope St. John Paul II wrote in Ecclesia in Asia:
Just as in the first millennium the Cross was planted in the soil of Europe, and in the second in the soil of the Americas and Africa, we can pray that in the third Christian millennium a great harvest of faith will be reaped in this vast and vital continent.
Since signing the Provisional Agreement [Sino-Vatican deal] on September 18, 2018, the Church in China has been thrown into chaos and turmoil. Out of reverence for the Office of St. Peter, we have remained silent to prevent scandal among the faithful, like a lamb led to the slaughterhouse.
“He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7)
But just as Our Lord rose from the dead, so too must the Chinese people rise. Like the Resurrection, a new day must dawn for us. As you discern who will lead the Church in the coming years, we beg you not to forget China.
Hopefully, this priest's plea will weaken Parolin's odds in the conclave.
How about a conservative, American Pope?
A Catholic man can dream, can’t he?
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland would be a prayer answered. It would also be a miracle.
Gotta be a Cardinal, no?
Nope. Just a male and a practicing Catholic.
Suffering? What suffering ... have you ever seen a skinny Cardinal?
Yes.
(Cardinal Joseph Zen on the left)
Next stupid question, byte?
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