Leading newspaper reports on Catholicism

The number of Catholics in China’s cities is growing, but there is a decline in applicants to seminaries to minister to them, according to China’s largest English-language daily newspaper. The full-page article in China Daily on 19 November by Xu Wei contained quotes from the rector of the official National Catholic Seminary in Beijing, Bishop John Baptist Yang Xiaoting, and seminarian, Zou Yunlong, with photos taken inside the seminary.

Bishop Yang reported that declining applications are partly a result of the large number of families with just one child. He said every student displays an extraordinary amount of courage when they enter a seminary, and “especially in China, when many new students are their parents’ only child”, and there is an “overwhelming desire to continue the family line”.

Zou Yunlong, 32, said: “Even today, my family is still trying to change my mind, but I am as committed as ever.” There were only four applicants to the Beijing seminary this year.