On Oct. 26th, Pope Benedict XVI closed the three-week long synod of bishop in Rome with a “special thought” to the Chinese bishops barred from attending the gathering.

“I would like to speak on behalf of them,” the Pope said, referring to the bishops of China, “and thank God for their love for Christ, their communion with the universal Church and their faithfulness to the successor of Peter.”
Beijing bans its Catholics from recognizing the authority of the pope and forces Chinese Catholics to worship in the state-run Patriotic Catholic Church. A majority of China’s Catholics and other Christians practice their faith illegally in unregistered churches and are subject to official harassment and imprisonment.

Labels: bishop, China, pope, Rome, synod