Chinese Catholics help migrants stranded for lunar new year

Published: 2008-02-04

HONG KONG (CNS) -- Catholics in southern and central China were helping stranded migrants who could not return to their hometowns for the Chinese new year because of snowstorms, rain or traffic chaos. By Feb. 4, three days before the beginning of the weeklong lunar new year, or spring festival, more than a million migrant workers from southern China's Guangdong province were still stranded at the Guangzhou train station. Officials estimated that 600,000 of them would not be able to board a train before Feb. 7, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News. Bishop Joseph Gan Junqiu of Guangzhou told UCA News Feb. 4 that the diocese was preparing to celebrate the holiday in parishes with some stranded migrant workers, and 200 local Catholics were making traditional dumplings for the occasion. A few days earlier, the bishop and accompanying Catholics had visited the train station to learn more about what the people needed. "We have bought food, medicine and 100 quilts for the stranded workers at the station periphery waiting to board trains," he said.

Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .