China

As protests pitting pro-government groups against pro-democracy protesters continue, a bishop urged Catholics to pray for the realization that all are humans and not “cockroaches or dogs.”

Returning to Rome from a trip Sept. 22-25 to the Baltic nations, Pope Francis was asked about his remarks to young people in Tallinn, Estonia, when he said young people are scandalized when they see the church fail to condemn abuse clearly.

For the first time in decades, all of the Catholic bishops in China are in full communion with the pope, the Vatican announced.

In a rare move, a top Chinese official answered journalists’ questions about a new white paper on religious freedom and the ongoing talks between his government and the Vatican.

As news of a possible agreement between China and the Vatican sparked debate about the best ways for the Catholic Church to deal with the Asian superpower, the Polish Institute in Rome recounted the story of a Polish Franciscan monk sent on a papal mission to the Far East 25 years before Marco Polo.

Multiple news reports indicate the Vatican has made substantial progress in reaching an agreement with China’s communist government on the naming of bishops for several dioceses without papal approval.

In “The Souls of China,” the religious landscape is dynamic yet chaotic, as the Chinese people carry not only a 5,000-year history behind them, but also the excesses of the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, the year of Mao’s death.

Mission is an adventure with God into a new world. Maryknoll Father Shaun Crumb, whose home parish is Sacred Heart in Glenwood, was ordained in 2015 and is currently serving in China.