ASIA/CHINA - Attention for the Holy Father in mainland China: while Catholics pray for the Pope many more people are beginning to ask “who is John Paul II”

Beijing (Fides Service) - “Who is the Pope?” is the question heard every more frequently among young people in China and many address this question to their Catholic friends, one young Catholic in Beijing told Fides. “The media in China, including the most read newspapers such as Chinadaily on line and Sina, Sohu, keep on giving reports on the health of the Pope. A colleague in the office asked me about the Pope and the news. I gave him all the information available on the Internet who the Pope is and about the Catholic Church, the Vatican and about Christianity. I also spoke about my experience and it was an opportunity witness to my faith although my knowledge of the faith is still rather limited. Perhaps my colleague will come to church with me one day”.
Many of the most popular and most visited web sites have news of the Pope for example: http://www.sina.com/, http://www.sohu.com/, http://www.china.com/, http://www.phoenixtv.com/ (Hong Kong satellite channel watched all the world), and the web site of the official government Chinadaily.
A local Catholic told Fides: “Even now that he is ill the Pope continues to evangelise in a different way. I must say that seeing the Pope’s suffering many more people feel drawn to show more interest for the Church and Christianity and the message of peace which the Pope sends with his life witness. Now that he is ill and aged the Pope is evangelising in another way, through his witness and perhaps even more eloquently”.
In the meantime Catholics continue to pray for the Holy Father also with the recitation of the Rosary and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. (Agenzia Fides 28/02/2005 Righe: 18 Parole: 187)