The first Latin American pope in the history of the Catholic Church, and also the first pope from the Jesuit order, Pope Francis, passed away at 7:35 am local time on April 21 in the Vatican, at the age of 88. Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the Prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life, stated in the announcement, "His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and of His Church."
Long-Held Dream: China
Pope Francis had publicly expressed his desire to visit China on multiple occasions. According to Vatican News last August, in an interview with the Chinese Province of the Society of Jesus, Pope Francis reaffirmed his desire to visit China, particularly the Shrine of Sheshan in the Songjiang District, Shanghai, which is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, to meet the local bishops and God's people.
He praised China as a great country with "an inexhaustible wisdom" and "a capacity for dialogue and understanding that goes beyond other systems of democracy. " He also remarked that the people of China are great people and faithful people. "They have gone through many things and remained faithful," he added.
Since his papacy in 2013, he had been dedicated to recovering the relationship with China, including the 2018 "Provisional Agreement" with China over nominating bishops, which was twice extended in 2020 and 2022, though its details were never released. Both China and the Vatican appreciated the implementation of the agreement and extended its validity for another four years in October 2024.
From 2013, Pope Francis had traveled extensively in Asia, including Mongolia, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. In September 2024, at nearly 88 years old, he embarked on his 45th Apostolic Journey abroad, covering over 20,000 miles across four nations—Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore, where approximately 75 percent of the population is ethnically Chinese.
Care for Chinese Catholics
In a video message to Catholic believers in China at an international conference in Rome on May 21, 2024, Pope Francis encouraged, "And the faith of God's people has been the compass that has shown the way" to Christians in China throughout history and until today. He said, "Even through times of patience and trial, the Lord in China has safeguarded the faith of the people of God along the way," reported the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The pope noted that "Christ's proclamation of salvation can only reach every human community and every single person if it speaks in their 'mother tongue.'" He also appreciated Chinese Catholics' efforts "in communion with the Bishop of Rome. In the context in which they live, they also bear witness to their faith through works of mercy and charity, and in their witness, they give a real contribution to the harmony of social coexistence, to the building of the common home," he said.
Bishop Joseph Shen Bin of Shanghai also spoke at the conference. He explained that Chinese religious policy only hopes that the Catholic clergy and faithful would protect the interests of the Chinese people and free themselves from the control of foreign powers, rather than changing the Catholic faith. The bishop affirmed, "We will continue to build the church in China into a holy and Catholic Church that conforms to God's will, accepts China's excellent traditional cultural heritage, and is appreciated by Chinese society today," according to Vatican News.
(This translation is an excerpt of the article originally published by the Gospel Times and has been edited under permission.)
- Translated by Poppy Chan
