ASIA/CHINA - Diocese of Shanghai opens Year of Matteo Ricci, invoking his intercession for the unity of the Church in China and with hopes for his beatification

Shanghai (Agenzia Fides) - "Let us invoke the intercession of Fr. Matto Ricci and Xu Guang Qi for the unity of the Church in China, we hope and pray for their beatification as soon as possible. I confirm once again that the line and the method of evangelization of Fr. Ricci are just and remain suitable today for the mission of evangelization in China." With these words, the ninety-year-old Bishop of Shanghai, Bishop Jin Lu Xian, a brother Jesuit of Father Matteo Ricci, inaugurated the "Year of Matteo Ricci” in the Diocese of Shanghai, during the solemn celebration commemorating 400 years since the death of a great missionary. According to information received by Fides, the Consul and Director of Cultural Affairs of the Italian Consulate in Shanghai, along with thousands of faithful, attended the celebration held on May 11th, the day of death Fr. Ricci, at the Marian Shrine of She Shan that held a Marian procession, the Rosary, pilgrimage, and Mass.
Some officials and local authorities attended the celebration. The Deputy Director of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Office of Shanghai, Mr. Shen, said "the most precious spiritual heritage of Fr. Ricci is the word 'adapt', with the hope that the Catholic Church can adapt to the Chinese situation, achieving a healthy development in China, in coherence with the Universal Church, to promote the healthy development of society." Bishop Joseph Xing, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese, has encouraged the faithful to follow in the footsteps of Fr. Ricci and the man he baptized, who was also his best friend and collaborator, Mandarin Chinese Paul Xu Guang Qi, praying for the beatification of both as soon as possible.
Fr. Ricci and Paul Xu Guang Qi, much esteemed and loved by the Chinese - Catholics and non alike - have been the focus of the Xu-Ricci Dialogue Institute of the School of Philosophy at Fudan University of Shanghai, also opened on May 11 with an International Forum on "Dialogue Among Civilizations and Global Challenges." According to the University, the Institute has a specific purpose: to promote and contribute to academic, cultural, and religious exchange between China and the West.
The great Italian Jesuit missionary Fr. Matteo Ricci arrived in China in 1583 and died in Beijing on May 11, 1610. He still is held in high esteem and respect in China. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 17/05/2010)