“The Church in China is in my heart”, Pope Francis told Cardinal John Tong Hon after his election. And
he assured him that he “never forgets to pray for Chinese Catholics”
who “have given many testimonies to the universal Church.”
Cardinal Tong, the only Chinese cardinal to have
participated in the recent conclave, talked with the new pope on a
number of occasions in the days following his election. He revealed what
the Pope said to him in those encounters, when he spoke during a solemn
mass in Hong Kong’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on April 8
to celebrate the inauguration of the Petrine ministry of Pope Francis.
encounters.
The Chinese cardinal resided in the Domus Sanctae
Marthae, the Vatican guesthouse where all the cardinals stayed during
the conclave, from March 12, when the conclave began. He remained there until March 20, when he departed for Hong Kong, where he is bishop.
Pope Francis too resided in that same guesthouse
and has actually decided to continue living there, instead of moving to
the papal apartment on the third floor of the Apostolic Palace, because
he wants to be near the people. As a result, he and the cardinal met
several times in the days following his election.
In his homily in Hong Kong Cathedral, Cardinal
Tong recalled how after his election as pope in the Sistine Chapel on
March 13, at about 7 pm, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio took the name
Francis. Then, after putting on his white cassock, “he first went to
embrace Cardinal Ivan Dias who had difficulty in walking.” Tong noted how “the new Holy Father really cares for everybody, particularly the weak.”
Then, he said, Pope Francis “accepted the
congratulations and loud applause of the cardinals” and then “one by
one, we extended our personal greetings and embraces of love to him.”
When it came to his turn, Tong presented the new
Pope with “a small bronze Chinese statue of Our Lady of Sheshan” and
told him, “The Catholics in China love you and will pray for you. Also,
we ask for your care for all Chinese Catholics, and please pray for
us!”
Pope Francis smiled and responded, “Chinese
Catholics have given many testimonies to the Universal Church”. Then to
Tong’s surprise, “He kissed my right hand to show his love and devotion
for the Church in China. This gesture moved me deeply.”
Next day, March 14, at 5 pm, he recalled that
Pope Francis celebrated his first mass as Successor of Peter in the
Sistine Chapel together with all the cardinal electors, and in his
homily, “he shared with us his reflections about the Church. He
highlighted three actions that the Church must take: Journeying with the
Lord under the light, actively building up the Church, proclaiming the
Gospel and professing our faith. All these focus on the Crucified Lord
Jesus Christ.”
The Hong Kong born cardinal revealed that on
March 15, early morning, when he was on his way to the chapel in the
Domus Sanctae Marthae he happened to be on the same elevator as Pope
Francis. The Argentinean-born Pope then told him that the statue of Our
Lady of Sheshan, now standing in his own room, reminded him of the
Jesuit Saint Francis Xavier who arrived in China more than 460 years
ago, . “He told me he never forgets to pray for Chinese Catholics”, the
cardinal said.
During Mass that morning, he said, “Pope Francis
pointed out in his homily that St. Ignatius of Loyola taught us not to
forget the Suffering Jesus whenever we encounter difficulties in life;
in this way, God will help us to enter into the mystery of Jesus’
resurrection.” Then, towards the end of his homily, Tong said,
“unexpectedly, Pope Francis openly thanked me for the statue of Mary.”
Later that same day, when Pope Francis greeted all
the cardinals, one by one, in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic
Palace, Tong revealed, “I thanked him for remembering the Catholics in
China.”
On March 20, the day after
the papal installation, Cardinal Tong bade farewell to Pope Francis
before departing for Hong Kong, and told him, “On behalf of the Church
in China, may I congratulate you again and thank you for your care and
prayers for the Church in China.” At that point, he said, the
Pope “kissed my hand again to show his devotion to the Church in China,
and told him, “The Church in China is in my heart”.