Chinese priest calls concelebrating papal Mass 'event of a lifetime'

Published: 2008-04-23

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A Chinese priest studying in Washington called concelebrating Mass with Pope Benedict XVI and more than 1,300 other priests and bishops "the event of a lifetime." "During the celebration, I really understood what it means to be one catholic and apostolic church," said Father John Chen Guang Qian of the Archdiocese of Xi'an, China, who is pursuing a licentiate in sacred theology at The Catholic University of America. Father Chen said the more than 46,000 people at the April 17 Mass at Nationals Park waved flags and shed tears when the popemobile arrived in the stadium. "It was a wonderful experience for me to see this: conservative and liberal, black, white, Latino and Asian, they were all one," he said in a short reflection written for Catholic News Service. Father Chen noted that Pope Benedict talked about freedom and reconciliation when he was in Washington. "I hope that the Catholic Church in China will have reconciliation, unity and dialogue within the church and with the government," Father Chen said.

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