The Holy See has pronounced automatic excommunication on Father Paul Lei Shiyin of Leshan, who was ordained a chinese bishop without papal mandate last week. A priest and Church observer outside China who asked not to be named said the move was taken for the good of the Church and followed a stern warning by Read more
Fr Paul Lei Shiyin was ordained bishop at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, in the Leshan diocese, China with the permission of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CCPA), but without a papal mandate. The ordination took place in the presence of about 1,000 guests including government officials and seven Vatican-approved bishops, and is the first ordination Read more
A move to appoint new bishops swiftly in dioceses where there are none is certain to worsen tension between the Vatican and China Patriotic church. Filling the more than 40 empty bishop’s seats is an urgent task because the vacancies are causing serious problems in the handling of church affairs, the official Xinhua News Agency quoted a spokesman as Read more
Internet evangelisation in China has not developed much and even appears to be at a standstill. Not surprising, perhaps, in a country where internet access is severely curtailed thanks to its infamous Great Firewall. Most netizens know there is a way to “scale the wall” but even so, if you are a webmaster of any Read more
There are more Muslims in China than in the whole of Europe. There are more practising Protestants than in Britain. There are more practising Catholics in China than in Italy, and an estimated 100 million or more people who consider themselves Buddhists. Tony Blair writes “I was in a province of China recently where I Read more
The Lowy institute has expressed concern about the Pacific nations’ growing indebtedness. The report surveys Pacific states for a breakdown of the aid and loans they have received from China. It states that China’s aid to Pacific nations over five years totals just over $NZ800 million. The bulk of China’s aid is through soft loans Read more
Japan and South Korea churches are working together in an effort to alleviate suffering in the light of the Japanese earthquake. Japan’s closest neighbours have begun to set aside long-term animosities in an effort to help the region most affected by last week’s devastating earthquake. With a drive to help Japan spreading across South Korea, Read more