Beijing, China, Feb 10, 2010 / 02:20 am
Media and government acknowledgment of two lay Catholics in China suggest an increasing social recognition of Catholics in the officially communist state. An elderly Catholic farmer is up for national honors for his work with the elderly and the homeless, while a Catholic college student won accolades for saving an imperiled young boy at the cost of his own life.
Wang Ping An, a 71-year-old Catholic farmer, was recently named as a candidate for the country’s list of Top 10 People of 2009, Fides reports. He has spent over 23 years taking care of the elderly, abandoned children, and the sick, lonely and disabled. He has welcomed hundreds into his home.
He has cared for 63 elderly people in their last months of life, even organizing their funerals.
In 2000, after taking out a loan, he built a house with 50 simple rooms to provide homes for those in need. He has often cited his Christian beliefs as motivation.