Photo: AAP image/EPA/Frustaci Photo: Habemus Papam - Pope Leo XIV, © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday was communicated with lightning speed among the Catholic community in China. Within just a few minutes of the sad announcement in Rome, social media groups at parish and regional level throughout the country were sharing the news in a way that was not possible twenty years earlier with the death of Pope John Paul II.
Pope Francis had a great love for the people of China and for the Church in China. He availed of many opportunities to express this love. In a long heart-warming message to the Catholics of China in 2018, Pope Francis wrote, “you are a small flock present and active within the vastness of an immense people journeying through history.… Therefore, ‘let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven’ (Mt 5:16)”.
On the Saturday afternoon following the death of Pope Francis, I was at Holy Family Church in Wuhan. A little unexpectedly, as a few friends and I walked by a room where a group of catechumens were gathered for class, we were invited to join them to look at the funeral Mass in Rome which was being viewed live.
The Mass was relayed on social media by a Catholic website in Beijing, the linking of a mobile phone to a projector in our room providing us with views of St. Peter’s Square that were amazing for all to see. Completely unplanned, we seemed to have front row seats at an international event of historic proportions. One liturgical detail that delighted this group at Holy Family Church was that the final prayer of intercession at the funeral Mass was read in Chinese.
Earlier in the week, the Beijing government acknowledged the death of Pope Francis. During his papacy he sought to develop the relationship between the Vatican and China, both sides being familiar with progress that can be evaluated over centuries rather than shorter time-scales.
In the days following the funeral Mass, the attention of Chinese Catholics turned to preparations for the conclave. The possibility of an Asian cardinal being selected as Bishop of Rome became a popular topic of discussion. Even in wider Chinese society, many people were also watching developments in Rome. One Chinese friend who is not a Catholic asked me for an opinion about the upcoming meeting of “red-clothes bishops” as they are known in the Chinese language.
The arrival of white smoke on the second day of the conclave happened soon after midnight in China. As with news of the papal death travelling fast, the midnight hour in China was no restriction on the circulation of news. In a humorous reflection of how midnight news might not reach everyone, one Chinese sister in Wuhan told me how another sister in her convent went to Friday’s early morning Mass in the parish church completely unaware of what had just happened in Rome. Her prayer of intercession for God to continue guiding the selection of the new pope was quickly interrupted by another sister, the update being a realisation that so much can happen in our world in one short night. For the next half hour one sister in the community was left wondering about the identity of the new pope.
In recent days there has been plenty of discussion among the Catholic community in China about Pope Leo XIV and what his pontificate will mean for the Church here. People in wider society are also aware of his selection. The Chinese government’s foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated that “it is hoped that under the new pope’s leadership, the Vatican will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with China and conduct in-depth communication on international issues of mutual concern”. In a country where public statements are crafted with immense attention to detail, the content and tone of this message will be analysed carefully in Rome, it being a message that would not have been possible as recently as 50 years ago.
Pope Francis never visited China. However, his visits to neighbouring countries occasionally provided him with the opportunity to fly over China’s vast land, each occasion being accompanied by a message of goodwill that was sent to the Chinese president Xi Jinping and replies of appreciation being received in Rome in the weeks that followed.
As Pope Leo XIV assumes his role as Bishop of Rome, Catholics in China, as well as some in wider society, will pay attention to whatever messages he communicates about China. The Catholics will see these developments as part of a gradual unfolding of history, faithful to the Church’s long-held view of seeing God active in history, even if developments move at a speed that need to be patiently measured over generations.
Columban Fr Dan Troy lives and works in China.
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