Vatican says Chinese church growing; pope to write Chinese Catholics

Published: 2007-01-22

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- At the end of a two-day meeting to discuss the status of the Catholic community in mainland China and the problems it faces, the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI would write a letter to the country's Catholics. Despite continuing instances of persecution and pressure, the number of Catholics in China is growing and the vast majority of bishops and priests have recognized the authority of the pope, said the statement issued at the end of the Jan. 19-20 meeting chaired by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state. "In the light of the troubled history of the church in China and the main events of the past few years, there was an examination of the most serious and urgent church problems, which need adequate solutions related to the basic principles of the divine constitution of the church and of religious liberty," the statement said. The Vatican did not say when Pope Benedict's letter to the Catholics of China would be written or released.

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