EUROPE/GERMANY - German bishops call for prayer for the Church in China, with the hope of greater communion in prayer

Bonn (Agenzia Fides) – On May 24, the attention of Catholic faithful throughout the world will turn towards China. On the day of the feast of Mary, Help of Christians, the German bishops are asking priests and faithful of the dioceses of Germany to remember the situation of the Catholic Church in China in the Mass and in personal prayer, and are recommending that they pray for Chinese Catholics especially in the Prayers of the Faithful in the Eucharistic celebrations on Sunday, May 23.
In their invitation to participate, the German bishops recall that the initiative of the Day of Prayer for China was recommended by Pope Benedict XVI in his Letter to the Catholic Church in China in 2007, in which the Pope called for a growing communion in prayer and in the encounter between the Church in China and the Universal Church. The German Bishops' Conference (DBK) points out that the date chosen is May 24, as every year on this date, thousands of pilgrims participate in the pilgrimage to the Marian shrine of Sheshan, dedicated to Mary, Help of Christians, in the Diocese of Shanghai.
The materials promoting the Day of Prayer have been prepared in collaboration with the “China-Zentrum,” Sankt Augustin (Germany), whose website (www.china-zentrum.de) offers suggestions for prayer, as well as the text of the Letter of Benedict XVI to the Church in China, and a prayer written by the Pope for the Day, including information on the current situation and history of the Catholic Church in China. The “China-Zentrum,” founded in 1988, unites various ecclesial and missionary groups. Since its foundation, it has been committed to promoting meeting and exchange between cultures and religions of China and the West. (MS) (Agenzia Fides 20/05/2010)