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Bishop Peter Wu Junwei of Yuncheng, a diocese in Shanxi, died May 10, 2022. The 59-year-old suffered a heart attack induced by work-related stress. Bishop Wu was born into a devout Catholic family in the town of Xiliulin, in the outskirts of Taiyuan (Shanxi Province), in 1963. He was the eldest of six siblings. One brother became a priest while a sister joined a religious congregation. He himself entered the junior seminary in 1982. Eight years later he was ordained a priest in the local diocese. From 1991 to 1996 he served as parish priest in Shagou. Then he was placed in charge of diocesan affairs until 2001. Between 2001 and 2009, he served as rector of the Shanxi Major Seminary, where he himself had studied. In September 2009 he moved to Yuncheng, and a year later he was appointed the ordinary bishop in the local diocese, consecrated with the approval of both the Holy See and Chinese authorities. Bishop Wu’s great-uncle, Saint Peter Wu Anbang, suffered martyrdom during the Boxer rebellion of 1899-1901, and was canonized in 2000 as one of 120 holy Chinese martyrs. Read more here in English and here in Chinese.

Young Jesuits and lay partners of the Chinese Province of the Society of Jesus have developed a prayer app in Chinese to promote Ignatian Spirituality to Chinese speakers around the world. From Mondays through Fridays, users are invited to 15 minutes of guided contemplation based on the daily Gospel. Then on Saturdays, there is a guided Examen, a prayer that helps one review one’s day, or in this case one’s week. On Sundays, the app provides a recollection or longer form of prayer lasting about 45 minutes. The developers of the app hope that through this platform more Chinese-speaking people can grow deeper in their relationship with God, and live a more meaningful life. Access the app >

China's transformation since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949 has been dramatic. What have been the implications of this transformation for the Church in China? How has this affected relations with the Vatican and the wider Christian community? Fr. Mariani provides an overview of leadership policy in China, then focus on how its current leaders see their "historical mission." How does this backdrop help us to better understand the developments of the past ten years leading up to today? about fr. paul mariani Paul P. Mariani, S.J., is the author of Church Militant: Bishop Kung and Catholic Resistance in Communist Shanghai (Harvard University Press, 2011) and holder of the Edmund Campion, S.J., Endowed Chair in the Department of History at Santa Clara University. His ongoing research focuses on religious policy and conflict in China, and specifically on Christian resistance in China since 1950. The PResentation further resources Church Militant: Bishop Kung and Catholic Resistance in Communist Shanghai By 1952 the Chinese Communist Party had suppressed all organized resistance to its regime and stood unopposed, or so it has been believed. Internal party documents—declassified just long enough for historian Paul Mariani to send copies out of China—disclose that one group deemed an enemy of the state held out after the others had fallen. A party report from Shanghai marked “top-secret” reveals a determined, often courageous resistance by the local Catholic Church. Drawing on centuries of experience in struggling with the Chinese authorities, the Church was proving a stubborn match for the party. Mariani tells the story of how Bishop (later Cardinal) Ignatius Kung Pinmei, the Jesuits, and the Catholic Youth resisted the regime’s punishing assault on the Shanghai Catholic community and refused to renounce the pope and the Church in Rome. Acting clandestinely, mirroring tactics used by the previously underground CCP, Shanghai’s Catholics persevered until 1955, when the party arrested Kung and 1,200 other leading Catholics. The imprisoned believers were later shocked to learn that the betrayal had come from within their own ranks. Though the CCP could not eradicate the Catholic Church in China, it succeeded in dividing it. Mariani’s secret history traces the origins of a deep split in the Chinese Catholic community, where relations between the “Patriotic” and underground churches remain strained even today. People, Communities, and the Catholic Church in China (Co-edited by Fr. Mariani and Cindy Chu) This edited volume explores various facets of the Catholic Church in post-Maoist China. The eight contributions successively focus on the impact of state control over Catholic communities during the late twentieth century, the influence of ecclesial figures like Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian (1916–2013) in Shanghai and Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun (1932–) in Hong Kong, the role of Catholic institutions like the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum Sinense and the Jinde Charities Foundation, as well as the significance of the Sheshan Miracle, which occurred near Shanghai in March 1980 and the ongoing transformation of youth ministry in mainland China. A key feature of this book is that contributors offer insiders’ points of view since most of them are Catholic clergy members involved in the transformation of the Church in China. Together, they provide a rich account of the many factors and actors that shape the evolving reality of Chinese Catholicism. Consequently, this book illustrates how Chinese Catholics and their institutions cannot be reduced to a mere political question or to issues of religious freedom, an approach that unduly dominates most debates on Chinese Catholicism. While complicated church – state relations are carefully revisited, contributors open new doors of investigation, showing for instance how popular piety, social work and younger generations question the ways in which Chinese Catholicism takes shape today. Although one might have hoped that some chapters would have adopted a more critical and analytical approach, the scope and coherence of the volume can only benefit those interested in contemporary Chinese Catholicism. The conversations it initiates call for further inquiry on how Chinese Catholicism responds to and contrasts with other Chinese religions – including Chinese Protestantism. While all religions – either in Taiwan or in mainland China – have shown great signs of vitality, the number of Catholics somehow stagnates in mainland China and declines in Taiwan. This particularism remains unexplained and calls for further investigation with cross-religious and transregional attention.

In a move that has stunned the Catholic Church and the world community, today China’s national security police arrested Cardinal Joseph Zen (陳日君紅衣主教), bishop emeritus of Hong Kong. He was charged with "collusion with foreign forces." According to police, Cardinal Zen was suspected of advocating that foreign governments sanction Hong Kong and/or China. Also charged in connection with this case were senior barrister Margaret Ng, activist and pop singer Denise Ho, former lawmaker Cyd Ho, and former professor Hui Po-keung. All five, including Cardinal Zen, were trustees of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund, which was setup to provide legal and humanitarian support for those arrested during Hong Kong’s 2019 pro-democracy demonstrations. After being questioned for several hours at the Chai Wan Police Station and having his passport confiscated, Cardinal Zen was released on police bail. He departed without making any comment to the media. Cardinal Zen is a member of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales, more commonly known as the Salesians of Don Bosco, or simply the Salesians. He earned a doctorate in philosophy, taught at Hong Kong’s Holy Spirit Seminary, and served as provincial superior of the Salesians in China. He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong from 2002 to 2009, and during that time, in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI elevated him to the cardinalate. Born in 1932, he is 90 years old. Cardinal Zen has consistently been an outspoken critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and as a result, after teaching from 1989 to 1996 at seminaries in China mainland, he was barred from returning. He has been an ardent advocate of democracy in Hong Kong, showing up at protests and standing among young people in the front lines in tee shirt and jeans.Also a critic of the unpublished accord that the Vatican struck with Beijing, Cardinal Zen has repeatedly urged that the Holy See stand up for the “underground church” in China, that is, those Catholics who refused to operate under or cooperate with government regulation of the Church. In 2007 Pope Benedict XVI published a pastoral letter in which he outlined a way forward for Chinese Catholics to balance their civic responsibilities and their duty to Christ. This letter has served as a foundational document for Chinese Catholics ever since. In 2019, Cardinal Zen published For Love of My People I Will Not Remain Silent: On the Situation of the Church in China , an extended reflection on the origin and significance of this letter and the deteriorating freedom of the Chinese Church. In response to journalists’ questions concerning the arrest of Cardinal Zen, Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, said simply, “The Holy See has learned with concern the news of Cardinal Zen's arrest and is following the evolution of the situation with extreme attention.” White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “Freedom of expression [is] critical to prosperous and secure societies. We call on PRC and Hong Kong authorities to cease targeting Hong Kong’s advocates and to immediately release those who have been unjustly detained and charged, like the Cardinal Joseph Zen … and others arrested today.” The Hong Kong Diocese was more restrained. Not wanting to inflame the situation, it has resisted issuing a statement pending further clarification. While all members of the Church, including cardinals, should follow those civil laws that do not violate justice, we can rightly ask whether Cardinal Zen’s work for the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund was subversive of the state or whether it in fact promoted the health of the state and its adherence to the highest standards of justice. Indeed, many residents of Hong Kong do not consider Cardinal Zen anti-Chinese, but rather consider him a great patriot. We pray that all people in Hong Kong will work together for the good of their community, and that the authorities in the territory will welcome the participation of all, even those who voice criticism of particular policies. Addendum as of 5/17/2022: In light of Cardinal Zen’s arrest, it is worth pointing out that he is no stranger to Hong Kong’s prisons. As a registered chaplain, he has been a regular, visiting and giving hope to those who have been cut off from the outside world. Imprisoned pro-democracy activist Leung Wing-lai recalled advice that Cardinal Zen offered him on one such visit. “He said ‘Remember, you can be angry, but do not have hatred’” (as reported in The Guardian 5/16). Cardinal Zen will return to court on May 24. That is the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, a feast honored at the Basilica of Our Lady in Sheshan and a day that Pope Benedict XVI set aside for the entire Church to pray for Christians in China. At this time, we pray for China. We pray that Chinese authorities proceed with justice. We pray for the people of Hong Kong. And we especially pray for Cardinal Zen, as well as Margaret Ng, Denise Ho, Cyd Ho, and Hui Po-keung, who were all charged in connection with their role on the Board of the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund.

The Society of Jesus (also known as the Jesuits) has long played an important role in the history of religious, intellectual, and cultural exchange between China and the West. The most famous missionary to China, Matteo Ricci, has been called both the “father of the China mission” and the “founder of Sino-Western relations.” Meanwhile, no one in our present time has appeared more often in media reports about the situation of China’s Christian population than Pope Francis, who signed the Vatican’s first official agreement with China’s government since it became a communist state in 1949. Though centuries apart, both Ricci and Francis are Jesuits who represent an astonishing continuity in how the Society of Jesus has theoretically and operationally actualized its religious and diplomatic mission regarding China. In his reflections, Dr. Anthony Clark examined how Jesuits have maintained Christian dialogue with China from 1582 until the present. As representatives of this uniquely Jesuit approach, Matteo Ricci and Pope Francis frame that exchange. About Dr. anthony clark Anthony E. Clark is the Edward B. Lindaman Endowed Chair at Whitworth University, the Distinguished Combe Trust Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh, and an elected Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in London. He is the author and editor of eleven books on the history of China and Sino-Christian exchange of which his latest is: A Chinese Jesuit Catechism : Giulio Aleni’s Seventeenth-Century Four Character Classic . He has published hundreds of scholarly book chapters and journal articles, and he has organized and hosted a number of academic gatherings on diverse topics. Clark is presently preparing a book on Jesuit drama in China and a co-authored study of Catholic missionary photography during the late Qing and Republican eras. The Presentation further resources Dr. Clark's Whitworth Faculty Page > Dr. Clark's Wikipedia Page > Published Works by Dr. Clark >

The USCCA’s esteemed partner, ERRChina (Educational Resources & Referrals – China) invites you to attend its next Chinese Worldviews Seminar, an intensive, six-day online event. This series, sponsored by ERRChina’s China Academic Consortium, will explore the background and development of contemporary Chinese worldviews. Friday, May 20 What are China’s moral foundations? Saturday, May 21 How did China become communist? Friday, May 27 What is the Chinese concept of God? Saturday, May 28 How does China differ from the US? Friday, June 3 How will China adapt after COVID-19? Saturday, June 4 Will China rule the world someday? This is an extraordinary opportunity that will enable attendees develop friendships and do business with Chinese people in China, the US, and around the world. Course credit may also be available. Learn more and register >

On November 14, 2021, John Barwick, Ph.D. presented “Chinese Christians and the Path to Liberal Modernity in China, 1900-1949”. China's encounter with the modern world in the first half of the twentieth century occurred at the same time that the small community of Christians was beginning to increase rapidly in numbers and influence. Christianity was in fact an integral part of this process, and particularly in advancing a liberal vision of modernity. By examining the lives of Chinese Christians, Dr. Barwick explored the following revelatory themes: · Why was Christianity so closely connected with liberal modernity in Republican China? · Why did Chinese Christians have such a large impact on China's early modernization? · Why did the Christian vision of liberal modernity in China fail and Communism succeed? · What lessons does Chinese Christian social engagement in this period hold for us today? About Dr. john barwick Dr. Barwick, a lecturer in the Department of History at Cornell University, has a Ph.D. in modern Chinese history from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has done work on the role of Protestant elites in China’s modernization during the first part of the 20th century. His research centers on the fascinating enigma that is modern China. He is drawn especially to the question of Chinese engagement with the modern world during the 19th and 20th centuries and the construction of Chinese modernity that emerged from it. A sub-theme of his work considers the role of religion in modern societies, and in particular the role of Christianity in mediating notions of modernity around the world over the past two centuries. His presentation will help us more fully understand Christianity's contribution to China’s development during the 1930's. After the lecture program on the stage ended, participants were given the opportunity to explore ideas, meet new people, and build community in small groups. the presentation

Fr. Drew Christiansen, SJ, Ph.D., director emeritus of the USCCA, died on April 6, 2022 in Washington, D.C. He was 77. Until his passing, Fr. Christiansen served as a distinguished professor of ethics and human development in Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and he was senior fellow at Georgetown's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. Formerly, he was the head of the U.S. bishops' Office of International Justice and Peace and was well known for promoting the plight of Christians in foreign countries. He often testified on Capitol Hill or wrote to members of Congress on issues ranging from the Middle East peace process to peacekeeping in Bosnia, from human rights in China to religious rights in Russia. Additionally, he assisted the bishops' committee that wrote "The Harvest of Justice Is Sown in Peace," a pastoral letter on war, peace and nonviolence, which the body of U.S. bishops adopted in 1993. Even after his tenure as a board member at the USCCA ended, he continued to help promote our mission, most recently by speaking at a briefing on human rights, Catholic tradition, and China. Christiansen served at America , a national weekly Jesuit publication based in New York, for 10 years, from 2002 to 2012. For the last seven of those years, he was editor-in-chief.

The USCCA Book Circle is reading a pre-publication version of the manuscript, “For A Christian Reading of The Core Values of The China Dream: Different Prospects in a Light of the Culture of Unity” by Kin Sheung Chiaretto Yan. The manuscript focuses on themes such as, harmony and the trinitarian relationship, ecological civilization and integral ecology, fraternity and social friendship, poverty alleviation and sharing economy, and the freedom of religion and the golden rule of reciprocity. The Book Circle is open to USCCA Affiliates. Learn more about becoming an Affiliate and how to join here . Kin Sheung Chiaretto Yan lives in Shanghai. He holds a doctorate in Missiology from the Pontifical Gregorian University (Rome). His primary areas of research are interdisciplinary approaches to the religions and cultures of Asia. He is the author of numerous articles and two books: Evangelization in China: Challenges and Prospects (Orbis 2014) and Season for Relationships: Youth in China and the Mission of the Church (Claretian Publications 2018). Earlier this year at the USCCA conference, “ China, Christianity, and the Dialogue of Civilizations,” he spoke about the concerns and challenges facing young people in Chinese society today. This keynote presentation can be viewed here . To find out more about joining this book circle, contact Mr. Xin Chen at Admin@USCatholicChina.org .

The XXIV Winter Olympics have commenced in Beijing. This is a time when we come together in friendly competition as a world community. With that in mind, let us pray that the Olympics be the occasion for all people to work together for unity and peace, rather than grandstanding and false nationalism. At this time, Pope Francis also calls our attention to working together for a world community based on fraternity and welcome. In his reflections on the Olympic and Paralympic Games, he reminds us that the “true gold medal” goes to everything that helps the global community be more welcoming and accepting of all people. In union with the Holy Father, let us pray for a world that welcomes all human beings. Finally, we hear that these games are a tribute to the human spirit. At the same time, they remind us of the Spirit that animates us all. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul writes, “Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we run to win an imperishable one.” (1 Corinthians 9:24) In particular, we remember that Chongli, the main venue for Olympic skiing events, is also the site where on more than one occasion, Chinese Catholics witnessed to their faith at the cost of their lives. These brothers and sisters in faith remind us of Saint Paul’s comments to Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” During this time, let us pray for all the people of China, and especially for those Chinese who have been heroic witnesses to the Gospel. These are difficult times for all people around the world. This is especially true for the people of China and its Christian communities, who have been cut off from easy travel to other parts of the world. Let us be diligent in reaching out to our brothers and sisters in China, and let us pray that the Spirit sustain them.

Dear friends in Christ, As we celebrate the Year of the Tiger, I write to share a post from a brother Jesuit, Fr. Francis Lim Chin Choy, SJ. Fr. Lim is the Communications Officer of the Malaysia-Singapore (MAS) Jesuit Region. Blessings, Fr. Michael Tigers are considered the most iconic of the big cats. Tigers, being the largest felines in the world, are considered by many cultures to be a symbol of strength, courage, independence, and majestic dignity. The tiger is careful, crafty and suspicious in a good way. It is careful to avoid pitfalls and traps. It is rarely taken by surprise. Following the example of the tiger, we must stay alert, we must walk carefully, and we must be wise in the Lord. There are two subspecies of tiger, commonly referred to as the continental tiger, and the Sunda island tiger. All remaining island tigers are found only in the island of Sumatra. The continental tigers are found in the mainland of Asia, stretching from India to Siberia, and south to the Malay peninsula. The largest tiger is the Siberian or Amur, while the smallest tiger is the Sumatran. No two tigers have the same stripes, and their stripes are as individual as fingerprints are for human beings. A tiger’s stripes are important for survival in the wild as they act as camouflage which appear as moving shadows in long grass and in trees. Therefore, the stripes of the tiger are what make the tiger majestic and unique. In the Bible, lions and leopards are mentioned but no tigers. Furthermore, interestingly there is not one mention of a domestic cat.It is because tigers are not native to the Middle East. We can assume that none of the Hebrew speaking, Aramaic speaking, or Greek speaking authors ever saw or heard of a tiger.The closest to the tiger in the Bible would be the lion which also symbolises authority and royalty. On top of that, some older English translations of the Bible mistakenly translated lion as tiger in some texts. Interestingly, there is an autobiography called “Christ the Tiger” by Thomas Howard published in 1967. Howard was born evangelical in 1935, but converted to Catholicism in 1985. “Christ the Tiger” was written before Howard became Catholic. It is not an exposition about Christ, but rather an autobiography of a sharp and restless mind. The book should have been named “Tom the Tiger”; although this title would not have sold the book! In his book, Howard spends a long time unveiling the unmanageable thoughts of a young man who has been caught up by the love of Christ rather than portraying Christ himself. Initially, he saw dogmas and institutions as obscuring the powerful truth of God’s love in Christ. He argues that Jesus is always greater than any theology. However, Howard demonstrates his awareness that without those institutions there would not be any way of encountering Christ the tiger. This book radically presents who Christ is and what faith in him means. Howard was greatly influenced by the famous writer, CS Lewis, who was in turn influenced by another great writer, GK Chesterton. Howard did his doctoral dissertation on the writings of Charles Williams who was a good friend of Lewis. Howard is generally considered an expert on the writings of Williams. Lewis and Williams compared Christ to a lion, but Chesterton and Howard compared him to a tiger. Chesterton says that when you make the claim that God is a reality like a tiger, which is a reason for changing your life, the modern world will try to stop you if it can. Then, be prepared to be opposed. Prior to that, TS Elliot, a poet, had also used the image of Christ as a tiger in his poem, “Gerontion.” Nonetheless, whether it is a tiger or a lion to signify Christ, the idea is to manifest Christ as majestic, courageous and authoritative. We, who are the disciples of Christ, can imitate him in this way, too. Happy Lunar New Year! - Fr. Francis Lim, S.J.

The Institute for the Study of Christianity and Culture in Beijing, which promotes academic research on Christianity and culture and the promotion of evangelization in China and beyond, is celebrating its 20-year anniversary in 2022. The institute was founded in 2002 by Father Peter Zhao Jianmin, vicar of the Archdiocese of Beijing, who graduated with a degree in canon law from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. Father Zhao was the first Chinese priest to obtain a doctorate after the opening up of the Church in China 1970s. Since its foundation, the Institute has sought to study religions, especially Christianity, local culture, and the promotion of greater harmony between Catholicism and Chinese traditions. Over the course of its history, the Institute has sponsored seminars, conferences, publications, forums, training courses, international exchanges. Topics covered range from Mariology and St. Ambrose to the doctors and fathers of the Church, the contributions of Chinese and foreign missionaries to evangelization, and social development in China. The institute has been a pioneer in mainland China for paving the way for dialogue between the inculturation of faith and the evangelization of cultures. Read more from Union of Catholic Asia News >