Pope Benedict deplores the manner in which the Catholic Church in China is being treated by Chinese officials. [singlepic id=50 w=320 float=right]That from a Vatican statement regarding last Thursday’s illicit Episcopal ordination of Fr. Joseph Huang Bingzhang (we first wrote about the ordination last week). The ordination was conducted through the government-sanctioned Chinese Catholic Patriotic ...read more

China has a new Bishop. [singlepic id=45 w=320 float=right]But it’s not cause for celebration in Rome. The ordination is unapproved by the Holy See. And Vatican Press Office director Fr. Federico Lombardi says if there is no Papal mandate, then the ordination is contrary “to the unity of the Universal Church” and a cause for ...read more

Taking a look at the Vatican’s not-so-Secret Archives, bracing for reaction from China, and sixty artists for sixty years of ordination. Catholic News Service Rome Bureau Chief John Thavis covers all this in today’s Vatican report. ...read more

An act that sows division and produces rifts and tensions. [singlepic id=39 w=320 float=right]That’s how a statement from the Holy See describes last Wednesday’s Episcopal ordination in the Diocese of Leshan, China. There was no Papal mandate for the ordination of Fr. Paul Lei Shiyin, and hence the Holy See does not recognize him as ...read more

While Pope Benedict frequently invites Catholics to pray for particular causes, he has made a unique, official appeal for the Church in China. Speaking at the General Audience last Wednesday, he said that “all Catholics throughout the world have a duty to pray for the Church in China: those members of the faithful have a ...read more

On May 1st we celebrated the Beatification of John Paul II. That 1.5 million (!) people gathered in Rome for this historic event is a testament to the connection that the Polish Pontiff had with the faithful. He was a great communicator — and some consider that one of the lasting hallmarks of his life. ...read more

A Vatican commission released a message on Thursday to the church in China, urging the faithful to stay strong in their faith and criticizing illicit ordinations. Catholic News Service’s Rome correspondent Carol Glatz has more.   To download Flash Player please click here   ...read more