VATICAN CITY, JULY 1, 2007 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI has marked May 24, the memorial of Our Lady, Help of Christians, as a day of prayer for the Church in China.
The Pope announced this in the "Letter of the Holy Father Benedict XVI to the Bishops, Priests, Consecrated Persons and Lay Faithful of the Catholic Church in the People's Republic of China," published Saturday by the Vatican.
The Pope explains in the letter that "Our Lady, Help of Christians [...] is venerated with great devotion at the Marian Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai."
"In the future become an occasion for the Catholics of the whole world to be united in prayer with the Church which is in China," he writes.
The Pope continues: "I would like that date to be kept by you as a day of prayer for the Church in China.
"I encourage you to celebrate it by renewing your communion of faith in Jesus our Lord and of faithfulness to the Pope, and by praying that the unity among you may become ever deeper and more visible."
