Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Roma (Agenzia Fides) - Respect for the dead and veneration of forefathers is part of Chinese culture and therefore Chinese Catholics in communion with the Universal Church celebrate the annual recurrence of All Souls Day with massive participation. In dioceses all over the country various initiatives are organised to mark the recurrence on 2 November, Fides learned from local sources. In Beijing over 5,000 Catholics attended a special Mass celebrated at the Catholic cemetery presided by newly appointed Archbishop Giuseppe Li Shan who in his homily, urged the faithful to “make an examination of conscience, reflect during prayers and commemoration of the dead to prepare our soul, rejecting all sins. In life we must keep the Lord's Commandments, and bear witness to our faith. Faith cannot be left behind in church, there must be continuity between life and faith ”.
In Quan Zhou diocese, Fu Jian province the commemoration of the dead was lived as a lap of a pilgrimage. During Mass celebrated at the local Catholic cemetery the priest leading the pilgrimage said “for Christians death is not the end of life, indeed it is the fulfilment of our greatest hope, to return to the House of the Father. The dead cannot give any more. But we who are living must pray, take part in Mass, make little sacrifices and acts of charity for our dead that they may soon be purified and reach our final destination, the encounter with the Lord and all the saints”.
In Jing Xian diocese, He Bei province, the commemoration of the dead was an occasion to visit the tombs of missionaries, to pray for all deceased missionaries, Chinese and non, who dedicated their life to evangelisation and to a call to all Catholics to follow their example. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 9/11/2007 - righe 28, parole 323)
