Source: AP via Breitbart.com
Watch out, China...here comes the
Pope Benedict XVI told a delegation from Hong Kong he will visit China in what would be an extraordinary papal visit to the communist nation, but he said the trip's timing depends on "God's wish," media reports said Tuesday.
One of the Vatican's goals is to restart official relations with China, which forced its Roman Catholics to cut ties with the Holy See in 1951 after the officially atheist Communists took power. People can worship only in government-controlled churches.
Good luck with that. Want to know why?
But millions of Chinese belong to unofficial congregations loyal to Rome. They say they are frequently harassed, fined and sometimes sent to labor camps by authorities.
Well, the man has testicular fortitude...I'll give him that.
Pope John Paul II, the most-traveled pontiff in history, was unable to visit China during his 26-year papacy. Pope Paul VI made a three-hour stopover in Hong Kong in 1970 when it was a British colony.
No pope has ever visited mainland China.
That's counting on whether this conversation actually took place.
The delegation included Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai, who told the pope Monday, "Please come to China to bring us love and democracy," Lai's Apple Daily newspaper reported in a front-page story.
The pope responded, "I will come," the newspaper reported.
But he said the timing depends on "God's wish," the Ming Pao Daily reported, quoting Hong Kong Catholic Diocese vicar the Rev. Dominic Chan.
A Vatican official said Tuesday it is a well-known fact that the pope wishes to travel to China, but he could not confirm Benedict's conversation with Lai. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Tags: [Pope Benedict XVI], [China], [Pope to visit China?]
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