YANGON (UCAN): Charles Cardinal Bo, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, set May 23 to 30 as a week of prayer for China.
In 2007, then-Pope Benedict XVI published his letter to Catholics in China and designated May 24, the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians, as an annual worldwide day of prayer for the Church in China.
“We should ask Our Lady of Sheshan to protect all humanity and therefore the dignity of each and every person in China, in the words of Pope Benedict’s prayer, to believe, to hope, to love,” Cardinal Bo said in a March 14 statement, adding, “It is right that we should pray not only for the Church but for all persons in the People’s Republic of China.”
He said he was expressing his love for the people of China, his respect for their ancient civilisation and extraordinary economic growth.
“My hope is that as it continues to rise as a global power, it may become a force for good and a protector of the rights of the most vulnerable and marginalised in the world,” Cardinal Bo noted.
The cardinal said that since the start of the Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, the people of China have faced increasing challenges.
