Nineteen Chinese Priests in Europe
- USCCA Digital Communications Coordinator
- 43m
- 2 min read
by Tom McGuire, M.Div., M.R.E., USCCA Director Emeritus
We celebrate the election of Pope Leo XIV, who greeted the world with these words that carry the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in his first message to the world: “God loves us, all of us, evil will not prevail. We are all in the hands of God. Without fear, united, hand in hand with God and among ourselves, we will go forward. We are disciples of Christ, Christ goes before us, and the world needs His light. Humanity needs Him like a bridge to reach God and His love. You help us to build bridges with dialogue and encounter so we can all be one people, always in peace. Thank you, Pope Francis!”
On April 28, 2025, the Verbiest Foundation in Leuven, Belgium welcomed nineteen Catholic priests from China to begin a program on pastoral leadership, catechesis, and social teaching, including a tour of holy places in Europe. These activities will provide an opportunity for Catholics from Europe and China to build bridges through dialogue and encounter. Pope Francis describes dialogue in Fratelli Tutti:
Approaching, speaking, listening, looking at, coming to know and understand one another, and to find common ground: all these things are summed up in the one word, dialogue.
Let us pray that the participants, as disciples of Christ, will work in the Light of Christ in the Verbiest Program from both China and Europe to mutually 'build a bridge to reach God', a true way to peace for the world.
Tom McGuire, M.Div, M.R.E. is a Director Emeritus of the USCCA. Tom has served as a Maryknoll Missionary in Hong Kong and as Director of Campus Ministry at University of Detroit Mercy. He is now retired, living in Chicago with his family.
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