Monday, February 13, 2012

Mother Teresa's intercession sought for China

Hong Kong's Cardinal-elect John Tong Hon has asked Catholics to pray for the intercession of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta for the restart of China-Vatican dialogue during a Mass to welcome her relic to the island, reports ucanews.com.

In his homily to about 1,000 Catholics, the bishop of Hong Kong said both Blessed Teresa and Blessed John Paul, whose relic (a lock of his hair) was interred permanently at the cathedral in November, shared concerns about China.

"Mother Teresa not only visited Hong Kong and mainland China, but always wanted to establish her congregation in the mainland," said the cardinal-elect, adding that "her dream was partially fulfilled" with the Missionaries of Charity arriving in the Special Administrative Region in 1983.

Dialogue was suspended between the Vatican and China after China objected to the canonisation of 120 Chinese martyr-saints in 2000, and halted in 2011 after two illicit ordinations, which resulted in the Vatican excommunicating the bishops, he said.

He hoped dialogue will soon resume and succeed and that the Missionaries of Charity nuns can formally establish themselves in the mainland so that Chinese people can benefit from the nuns care.