China thanks Pope for his appeal for peace in Syria

Beijing, 03 September 2013: The appeal of Pope Francis for peace in Syria "is wise and true, and we Chinese are with him . We do not want to see conflicts in the Middle East any longer, we are opposed to any attack by the United States against the government Damascus. As the pontiff said War begets war, violence begets violence. Thank you for these words". These were the thoughts of two senior Chinese government officials, who wanted to remain anonymous who have spoken to AsiaNews about Francis' appeal at Sunday's Angelus and more generally the figure of the new Pope.

The two officials deal with relations between cultures and religions in China: "The Chinese government - they explained - is not familiar with the new pope but appreciates many things about him, from his simplicity to the speeches he has made ​​to the Christian world.

The Chinese people "have seen Francis on television and internet. It’s clear to everyone that he is a really great pontiff, a 'good father', although we are still trying to get to know him better. It is our heartfelt hope that with him there might be an improvement in relations between China and the universal Church that Beijing and the Vatican can draw closer in the future. We love this Pope, even if until now has not spoken openly of the Chinese situation".

Regarding the new Vatican Secretary of State , Msgr. Pietro Parolin , they say: "We do not know him well yet, but we know that he spent a lot of time promoting ties between the Vatican and Vietnam. And not long after his involvement the two countries established diplomatic relations. We do not believe that Beijing will follow in the footsteps of Hanoi on this issue, but of course there is the will to move ahead".
Source: AsiaNews