Interview with Bishop of Kaohsiung
KAOHSIUNG, China, SEPT. 27, 2000 (ZENIT.org-Fides). - Despite Beijing's opposition, Cardinal Paul Shan Kuo-hsi, bishop of Kaohsiung, is delighted about the canonization this Sunday of 120 martyrs of China.
"The event is a great honor for the Chinese people and a great encouragement for the Church in China," the 77-year-old bishop of Kaohsiung said in an interview with the news agency Fides. The cardinal will be present in Rome for the celebration Oct. 1 and the next day he will preside at a Mass of thanksgiving at St. Peter's. Here is the interview:
--Q: Your Eminence, you were very much in favor of this canonization, why?
--Cardinal Shan: Saints are important in the Church. In Europe all the particular Churches in the different countries have their own saints. On the Asian continent, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines all have their canonized saints and martyrs. The Church was established in China much earlier than in these other countries. More than 700 years ago Franciscan missionary Giovanni de Montecorvino arrived in China and he became the first archbishop of Beijing.
Up to now we only had our beatified, no saints. This is why all the Catholics in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas longed to have their own saints, to be for them a model of Christian life and encourage them in the faith.
--Q: What do you think about the Chinese government's harsh reaction to this event?
--Well, you should ask the government. I think it is a mistake to give the event a political interpretation. Those who are being canonized were killed a long time ago and they have nothing to do with the present regime. In other cases, the governments of Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam did not react in this way: They saw the canonization of the martyrs as a great honor for the nation.
--Q: What will the canonization mean for the Church in China?
--It will be a source of great encouragement for the Christians who are persecuted. Catholics have prayed and hoped for this, for a long time. 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. Our motives are only religious, not political.
--Q: How has the Church in Taiwan prepared for this event?
--We have prepared a novena which will be prayed in every diocese and parish: nine days of prayer to show our respect and devotion to the new saints. The preparation is all spiritual. Thousands of Catholics from Taiwan are coming to Rome for the event. On Oct. 28 in Taipei we will have a solemn Mass of thanksgiving at the national level to thank God for the canonization.
--Q: What did the Pope say to you about the canonization?
--I was in Rome for the World Youth Day in August but I did not have a private audience with the Pope. The Holy Father always tells me that China is in his prayers, he loves China and he is concerned for the Church in China.
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