Earlier this morning Walt told you about Joseph Cardinal Zen's warning that persecution of the Catholic Church in China is getting worse. Now I'm pleased to share with you a report from AsiaNews that more than 3000 Chinese Catholics joined in a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan on May 24th, the day set aside by the Pope for prayer for the Church in China.
Communist officials actively discouraged participation in the pilgrimage, warning of "security" risks, and barred Catholics from other dioceses from attending. But Father Thaddeus Ma Dagin, the Vicar General of the Diocese of Shanghai diocese, led a procession to the Basilica of Our Lady of Sheshan and concelebrated Mass with 40 other priests.
Before the crackdown of which Cardinal Zen spoke, the annual pilgrimage at times attracted as many as 200,000 faithful. But since 2008, when Pope Benedict XVI asked for special prayers on May 24th for unity within the Chinese Catholic Church, the Chinese government -- which recognizes only its own "Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association" -- has made every effort to minimize the event.
Some Chinese dioceses circumvent the official resistance by making pilgrimages to the Marian shrine on different dates. Others organize days of prayer on May 24th at locations within their own dioceses. Dear Catholic readers, please offer your prayers for the safety and blessing of these courageous Chinese.
Pray also that the Catholics here in the West -- where freedom of religion is supposedly protected by law -- will muster up the courage to stand up for the True Faith against the oppression of the secular humanist governments for which we stupidly keep voting.
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