Abstract
In March 2013, Chinese Catholics in churches in Beijing said a prayer of thanksgiving for Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pontiff. For them, his papacy evoked early Jesuit historical precedents, such as Matteo Ricci’s collaborations with Chinese scholar-officials, and Francis Xavier’s dashed dream of reaching China (he died of fever on an offshore island before ever setting foot on the Chinese mainland).1 Since his inauguration, Pope Francis has gained increasing popularity worldwide. Time magazine chose him as “Person of the Year” at the end of 2013. Around the same time, a forum of key news and diplomatic organizations in China voted the Pope the third most important man in the world.2 The recent changes in leadership in both the Vatican and China have raised questions about the future direction of the Chinese Catholic Church, and set off a quest for more research into the Chinese Catholics, their heritage and prospects.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Catholicism in China, 1900-Present |
| Subtitle of host publication | The Development of the Chinese Church |
| Editors | Cindy Yik-yi Chu |
| Place of Publication | New York |
| Publisher | Palgrave Macmillan |
| Chapter | 1 |
| Pages | 3-12 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Edition | 1st |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781137353658 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781137361745, 9781349472383 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2014 |
Scopus Subject Areas
- Arts and Humanities(all)
- Social Sciences(all)
User-Defined Keywords
- Chinese People
- Chinese Communist Party
- Religious Affair
- Communist Revolution
- Fellow Countryman