Church in the World

Pope to attend meeting on China

China

Pope Benedict XVI is expected to convene a Vatican meeting soon to discuss the Church's strategy in China, Italy's I-Media news agency reported on Tuesday, quoting a Vatican source. The meeting is to focus on China's strained relations with the Holy See after Beijing consecrated several bishops last year without papal approval, the agency said. A spokesman for Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen, last week said that the Pope planned to attend the meeting, writes James Roberts.

Meanwhile, two priests of the underground Church of Heibei have been released by police due to ill health; seven others arrested with them on 27 December last year remain in prison. Local sources told AsiaNews that the priests were arrested because they had taken part in "illegal" gatherings.  The same sources said that the police are seeking to coerce the underground priests - whose first loyalty is to Rome - into joining the Patriotic Association, the part of the Chinese Church answerable to Beijing. The two who were released, Fr Wen Daoxiu and Fr Li Yongshun, have serious health problems. The group had gathered to study in a location that was not registered with the Government.

Joseph Meng Ziwen, Bishop of Nanning (Guangxi), died last Sunday at the age of 103. The underground bishop was ordained into the priesthood in Nanning in 1935 and was the oldest priest in China.