Pope Approves "Compendium" for Church in China

(23 May 09 - RV) Tomorrow May 24th marks a day of prayer for the Church in China and on the eve of the special celebration Pope Benedict has approved a new Compendium destined for Chinese Catholics.
On 27 May 2007, the Solemnity of Pentecost, the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI sent a Letter to the Bishops, priests, consecrated persons and lay faithful of the Catholic Church in the People’s Republic of China.
“Through this Letter”, the Holy Father intends “to offer some guidelines concerning the life of the Church and the task of evangelization in China”, in order to help Chinese Catholics discover what the Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, “the key, the centre and the purpose of the whole of human history”, wants from them (No. 2).
The usefulness of the Letter has been confirmed by the highly favourable reception given to it by the Chinese Catholics who had access to it. From the information that is arriving from China, it is clear that the Papal Document has given rise not only to study sessions exploring its content but also to many pastoral initiatives: it is becoming a reliable point of reference for the resolution of the various problems that the Catholic community is having to address on both the doctrinal level and the practical, disciplinary level.
On the second anniversary of the publication of the Papal Letter, the Holy See is offering the Church in China a “Compendium” which, following the catechetical literary genre of questions and answers, presents once again the basic elements expressed by Pope Benedict XVI.
The “Compendium” faithfully reproduces, both in structure and language, the content of the original Letter, quoting extended passages from it. With the addition of some footnotes and two short Appendices, the “Compendium” is presented as an authoritative tool facilitating a deeper understanding of His Holiness’ thought on some particularly delicate points.
The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has approved the “Compendium” and has authorized its publication as a document of the Apostolic See.
The document will be available on the official website of the Holy See in Chinese (using simplified and traditional characters) and English, from 24 May 2009.