Pope urges prayers for China Church at general audience

(December 1, 2010) Every week on Wednesday, the Pope holds a public meeting, called the general audience, during which pilgrims and tourists who come to Rome have a chance of seeing and hearing him speak in several languages. The general audience of Dec. 1 was held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall. An aide greeted the Pope on behalf of the English-speaking pilgrims and presented the various groups to him. Pope Benedict then delivered a discourse in English.

Listen:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
our catechesis today deals with Julian of Norwich, an English mystic and anchoress of the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries. Julian is best known for her book, Revelations of Divine Love, which recounts sixteen visions or “showings” which she received during a grave illness. The Revelations are centred on the love of Christ; in Julian’s own words: “love is our Lord’s meaning”. They exude an optimism grounded in the certainty that we are loved by God and protected by his providence; as Julian says, in speaking of God’s power to bring good out of evil: “all will be well, and every kind of thing will be well”. Julian’s mysticism echoes the prophet Isaiah in using the imagery of a mother’s love to describe the affectionate care which God shows for his children, culminating in the incarnation of his Son and the fulfilment of his promises. Like so many holy women in every age, in spite of her withdrawal from the world Julian became a much-sought spiritual guide. In our own lives, may we draw profit from her teaching that God is the love which transforms our lives, bringing joy and peace to our hearts and, through us, to those all around us.
I extend a warm welcome to the many student groups present at today’s Audience. Upon all the English-speaking visitors, especially those from Malaysia, Australia and the United States of America, I cordially invoke an abundance of joy and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the end of the audience Pope Benedict XVI urged Catholics worldwide to pray for the Catholic Church in China, which he said was going through particularly difficult times. Speaking in Italian, Pope Benedict urged all to call on Mary Help of Christians to sustain all Chinese bishops so that they may bear witness to their faith with courage, placing all their hope in the Saviour that we await. He entrusted to the Virgin Mary all the Catholics of China so that through her intercession they may be able to realize an authentic Christian life in communion with the universal Church, thus contributing also to the harmony and common welfare of the noble people.
The Pope's appeal came on the eve of China's National Assembly of Catholic Representatives, the decision making body established by Beijing authorities without Vatican approval. Apparently, many Catholic bishops are being pressured to participate in the Assembly. Earlier, the Vatican bitterly criticized the Nov. 20 ordination of Fr. Joseph Guo Jincai as bishop of Chende, China, without papal approval, at which state authorities forced several bishops to participate.
During the general audience, the Pope also blessed a 2.5 meter tall bronze statue of Our Lady of Loreto, Italy, the patroness of aviation, that will be inaugurated in Rome’s Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport on December 10.
Wednesday’s general audience concluded with the Pope’s blessing.
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