Taiwanese Pleased at Canonizations of Chinese Martyrs

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan, Sep. 27, 00 (CWNews.com/Fides) - Taiwan's cardinal said this week that Catholics of his country are delighted at the upcoming canonization of 120 Chinese martyrs, despite protests by the Communist leaders of mainland China.

Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi, 77, of Kaohsiung told Fides news service that Chinese Catholics have been waiting a long time for this event, the canonization of the first native-born Chinese. «Everyone has their saints and now China has too!» he said. «The event is a great honor for the Chinese people and a great encouragement for the Church in China,» he added. The cardinal noted that Asian countries where the Church was established later received canonized saints much earlier than China.

The Communist government of China has reacted harshly to the canonization to take place on October 1 in Rome. They contend that the event is an affront to China because the Communist mark the day as a holiday and have also called the 120 martyrs criminals and tools of Western imperialists. All of the soon-to-be saints died at the end of the 19th century during the Boxer Rebellion. The Communist government requires Christians to worship only in state-controlled associations including the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which eschews any connections to the Vatican or the Pope. Many Catholics worship in illegal, underground churches following only bishops appointed by the Pope.

Cardinal Shan rejected political interpretations of the canonization, and said persecuted Catholics in China would be encouraged by it. «I remember many years ago when I was a child and I lived in China we used to pray for the canonization of our martyrs because this is a great honor for us and a call to be witnesses of the faith,» he said.

Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs