Beijing, China, Feb 17, 2010 / 08:15 am
Chinese Catholics joined in the celebration of Chinese New Year on Sunday with Masses of Thanksgiving, prayer, works of charity and the commemoration of deceased priests and missionaries. The faithful were particularly excited by the Pope’s Angelus greetings for the occasion.
On Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI directed his attention after the Angelus to the celebration of the lunar New Year celebrated in parts of Asia, especially in Vietnam and China.
Citing the opportunity the holiday provides to strengthen family and generational ties, he expressed his wish for those who are celebrating to "maintain and grow the rich heritage of spiritual and moral values that are rooted concretely" in their cultures.
A priest in Beijing told Fides, “for someone else, it might seem like the usual greeting of good wishes, but for us Chinese Catholics, especially those of us who live on the mainland, every time it arouses great emotion.