BEIJING, JUNE 13, 2004 (ZENIT.org-Fides).- More than 1,300 new Catholics were welcomed into the Church in various parts of China during Easter Vigil Mass this year, according to the Faith bulletin published in Hebei province. The actual number is certainly higher because this figure refers only to parishes and towns in 10 provinces: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Hubei, Shaanxi, Heilongjing and Inner Mongolia.
The highest number of baptisms, 285, was registered in Hengshui Diocese, confirming Hebei as the most Catholic of mainland China's provinces. The catechumens completed a two-year course in Christian initiation consisting of catechesis, study of sacred Scripture, and community and individual prayer.
ZENIT Daily dispatch - The World Seen from Rome
13. juni 2004