Pope Francis

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-04/world-day-grandparents-elderly-vatican-dicastery-family-life.html

World Day for Grandparents and Elderly: Restoring dignity to those who are cast aside
17 April 2023, 11:52

His mercy is from age to age” is the theme of the third edition of the worldwide event, desired by Pope Francis, which will be celebrated on July 23 with a Mass by the Pope in St. Peter's Square. The Secretary of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life points out that "The theme is connected to the WYD in Lisbon to emphasize dialogue with young people. The Day is a time to reflect with and for the elderly, not only as a Church: grandparents also need political support."
By Salvatore Cernuzio

Of the ten years of his pontificate, the 2014 meeting with the elderly in St. Peter's Square was "one of the most beautiful moments”, said Pope Francis recently. It was he, who wanted to establish a World Day dedicated to all grandparents, to draw attention to a category all too often placed on the margins, remembering instead their value and encouraging actions in their favor. It is a goal maintained throughout the various editions of the Day, which now returns with its third edition on July 23, featuring a Mass celebrated by the Pope in St. Peter's Square. “His mercy is from age to age” (Lk 1:50) is the theme chosen for this year. This choice was intended to connect the Rome event to the great celebration of the World Youth Day in Lisbon (Aug. 1-6), and in other words to ideally put young and old 'in dialogue', as the Pope has always desired. This was pointed out to Vatican media by Gleison De Paula Souza, appointed Secretary of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life last November.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-fixes-eastern-churches-bishops-age-limit-for-vote-at-synods.html

Pope sets Eastern Churches Bishops' age limit for voting at Synods
17 April 2023, 17:15

In an Apostolic Letter issued in the form of a 'Motu proprio', Pope Francis amends the Canon Law of the Oriental Churches by providing that the bishops emeritus who have reached the age of 80 will no longer be able to vote in the Episcopal Synods of which they are members, though the rule does not apply to those who are already in office.
By Vatican news staff writer

With a new Motu Proprio published on Monday, Pope Francis has modified the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches to exclude bishops who are members of the  their respective Synods of Bishops from voting decisions after they have reached the age of eighty.

The Pope’s decision meets a longstanding request made by "some Patriarchs, Major Archbishops and Bishops", as reads the title of the Motu proprio “Iam pridem” ("For some time now", in Latin)

The Apostolic Letter, explains that the change was needed because of "the difficulties that have emerged in the Synods of Bishops of the Patriarchal Churches and Major Archiepiscopal Churches, due to the number of Bishops Emeritus who participate in them with an active voice, especially in the election of the Bishops and of the Heads and Fathers of their respective sui iuris (autonomous, ed.) Churches”.
 

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254113/pope-francis-introduces-voting-age-limit-for-bishops-of-eastern-catholic-churches
Pope Francis introduces voting age limit for bishops of Eastern Catholic Churches
By Hannah Brockhaus
Rome Newsroom, Apr 17, 2023 / 11:55 am

https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio.index.html
Motu Proprio
Apostolic Letter issued “Motu Proprio” of the Supreme Pontiff Francis «Iam Pridem» (16 April 2023)

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Update: Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254112/breaking-former-cardinal-mccarrick-charged-with-sexual-assault-in-wisconsin
BREAKING: Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick charged with sexual assault in Wisconsin
By Joe Bukuras
Boston, Mass., Apr 17, 2023 / 10:01 am

Former cardinal Theodore McCarrick has been criminally charged with fourth-degree sexual assault in Wisconsin for an incident that allegedly occurred in April 1977.

McCarrick, 92, was laicized by Pope Francis in 2019 after a Vatican investigation found him guilty of sexually abusing minors and adults. He is currently being criminally charged in Massachusetts for sexually abusing a minor, an accusation he denies.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice in an April 16 press release said that the complaint alleges that McCarrick serially sexually abused the victim over an unspecified period of time.

The incident that McCarrick is criminally charged with allegedly occurred “at a Geneva Lake residence” in which McCarrick is accused of “fondling of the victim’s genitals,” the press release said. Geneva Lake, which is located in Walworth County, is in southern Wisconsin, about an hour and 20-minute drive south from the city of Madison.
 

Press release--
https://www.doj.state.wi.us/news-releases/former-cardinal-theodore-mccarrick-charged-4th-degree-sexual-assault-following-report
Former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick Charged With 4th Degree Sexual Assault Following Report to Clergy and Faith Leader Abuse Initiative
Apr 16 2023

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-francis-message-olympic-games-2024-france.html

Pope: 2024 Olympics a chance to bear joyful witness to Christ
18 April 2023, 12:21

Pope Francis sends a message to Catholics in France ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games, and praises sport for creating opportunities to bring people together and engender fraternity.
By Devin Watkins

As France prepares to host the 33rd Olympic Games in the summer of 2024, Pope Francis has sent a message to French Catholics to urge them to get involved in the sporting event.

The Pope’s message was signed by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and released on Tuesday.

Paris hosts the Summer Olympics on 26 July to 11 August 2024, along with 16 other cities across metropolitan France and Tahiti, an island within French Polynesia.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-04/nomination-dicastery-promoting-interreligious-dialogue.html

New Under-Secretary for Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
18 April 2023, 12:00

Pope Francis appoints Msgr. Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo as new Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
By Vatican News staff writer

The Holy Father has appointed Msgr. Anthony Onyemuche Ekpo as Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Until now, Msgr. Ekpo has served as an official at the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.
 

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Video, with English commentary, at the link...

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-francis-general-audience-catechesis-apostolic-zeal-martyrs.html
Pope at Audience: Remember the suffering people of Yemen
19 April 2023, 09:20

Pope Francis continues his series of catecheses on apostolic zeal and speaks of the Church's many martyrs, praying especially for those working in Yemen, dominated by war for so many years.
By Francesca Merlo

Addressing the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square for his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on apostolic zeal, and turned to the figure of St Paul, describing him as “a true 'champion' of apostolic zeal”.

Referring to the day’s reading, the Pope noted that, “today our gaze turns not to a single figure, but to the host of martyrs, men and women of every age, language and nation who gave their lives for Christ.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/audiences/2023.index.html
Audiences 2023
General Audience of 19 April 2023 - Catechesis. The passion for evangelization: the apostolic zeal of the believer. 9. Witnesses: the martyrs

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https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europe/2023/04/pope-in-hungary-will-find-bridge-between-east-and-west-cardinal-says

Pope in Hungary will find bridge between east and west, cardinal says
By Elise Ann Allen
Apr 19, 2023

ROME – Ahead of Pope Francis’s visit to Budapest next week, the archbishop of the city has said his country is a bride of dialogue between different cultures and religious traditions, and is a place of great hospitality as it hosts hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.

Speaking to Crux, Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő, the archbishop of Esztergom–Budapest, said Hungary is unique given “the presence of many confessions and by a cultural multiplicity” which he said, “constitutes an appeal, an invitation to dialogue.”

Noting that the logo for Pope Francis’s upcoming visit contains a bridge, he said Budapest, the only city the pope will visit, “is a city of bridges, and it can also have the vocation of being a bridge between east and west, not only in the material sense, but also in the human sense.”

Though he declined to go into depth on the migration issue and the prominence it might have during the papal visit given the often-opposing views between Francis and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Erdő touched on the fallout of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the impact Ukrainian refugees have had on Hungarian society.

“The war in Ukraine represents a great humanitarian challenge for our church and for our country. Our Catholic organizations are present on the Ukrainian border since the beginning of the war,” offering assistance to those who relocated, or simply passed through, he said.

Hungary, which has a population of roughly 10 million, has welcomed some 1,500,000 since the war began last February, Erdő said, saying a planned meeting with Pope Francis and poor people and refugees during the visit “is a great example of Christian charity.”

Pope Francis will visit Hungary, which shares a border with Ukraine, from April 28-30, following a brief visit to the country in 2021 to close an international Eucharistic congress.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254135/pope-francis-sent-a-relic-of-the-true-cross-for-king-charles-coronation

Pope Francis donates relic of the true cross for King Charles’ coronation
By Peter Pinedo
Washington D.C., Apr 19, 2023 / 15:30 pm

Thanks to a gift from Pope Francis to King Charles III, two pieces of the true cross on which Jesus was crucified will lead the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom’s coronation procession May 6.

The precious relics have been inlaid into the “Cross of Wales,” which will head Charles’ procession into Westminster Abbey, where he will be officially crowned.

Many will be watching the ceremony to witness the pomp and circumstance still found in the official functions of the British royalty. Yet, at the forefront of all that spectacle, the simple metallic cross, inlaid with relics of the wood of the true cross, testify to a lesser-known, deeply Christian aspect of the British royal tradition.

Among his many titles and symbolic responsibilities as king of England, Charles is also the supreme governor of the Church of England, which broke away from the Catholic Church in 1534 under King Henry VIII.

Given that many consider the pieces of the cross among the most precious relics in all of Christendom, the pope’s gift is being seen as an incredible ecumenical sign of goodwill.

The U.K.’s ambassador to the Holy See, Chris Trott, expressed his gratitude to the pope in a tweet, saying: “We are deeply moved and grateful to Pope Francis for this extraordinary gift. Reflecting the strength of the [Vatican-U.K.] relationship that developed over the course of the reign of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, who met 5 Popes!”
 

Photos at the link below--
https://www.churchinwales.org.uk/en/news-and-events/the-cross-of-wales-will-lead-coronation-procession/
The Cross of Wales will lead Coronation procession
Provincial news Posted: 19 April 2023

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/holy-see-donates-relic-of-the-true-cross-to-king-charles-iii.html

Holy See donates relic of the True Cross to King Charles III
20 April 2023, 14:11

The Director of the Holy See Press Office confirms that the Holy See earlier this month donated relics of the True Cross to Charles III, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, as an ecumenical gesture.
By Vatican News

Responding to journalists’ questions, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, confirmed today, Thursday, 20 April, that “fragments of the Relic of the True Cross were donated by the Holy See in early April, through the Apostolic Nunciature, to His Majesty King Charles III, Supreme Governor of the Church of England, as an ecumenical gesture on the occasion of the centenary of the Anglican Church in Wales.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-in-christ-suffering-is-transformed-into-love.html

Pope: In Christ, suffering is transformed into love
20 April 2023, 10:34

Pope Francis reflects on the meaning of suffering in an address to the Pontifical Biblical Commission on Thursday, saying the Bible provides an answer to the question of sickness and suffering that is neither utopian nor fatalistic.
By Christopher Wells

In the face of suffering and pain, human beings can either withdraw within themselves “to the point of despair or rebellion,” or welcome it “as an opportunity for growth and discernment of what really matters in life, to the point of an encounter with God.”

The latter, Pope Francis said on Thursday, “is the vision of faith we find in Sacred Scripture.”

The Holy Father made his remarks during an Audience with members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, which has been studying the theme of “sickness and suffering in the Bible.”
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/april.index.html
Speeches 2023 April
To members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission (20 April 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-francis-interfaith-leaders-manchester-dialogue.html

'The social and environmental crises are one,' Pope tells Interfaith Leaders
20 April 2023, 12:33

'The social and environmental crises are one,' Pope Francis insisted as he thanked Interfaith Leaders from Greater Manchester for their commitment to combat and safeguard against these crises, and to pursue to common good.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

"We need, in a word, to acknowledge that the environmental and social crises of our time are not two separate crises but one..." insisted Pope Francis as he addressed Interfaith Leaders from Greater Manchester in the Vatican on Thursday.

The Pope expressed his appreciation for their efforts, as religious and political leaders, to raise awareness of the "urgent need" to protect the environment and work concretely to address the effects of climate change.

"Your united witness," the Pope told them, "is particularly eloquent, since the history of your city is closely linked to the industrial revolution, with its legacy of immense technical and economic progress, together with an admittedly negative impact on the human and natural environment." 
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/april.index.html
Speeches 2023 April
To a Delegation of "Interfaith Leaders from Greater Manchester" (Great Britain) (20 April 2023)

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Uh, oh...

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254142/breaking-vatican-blames-communication-error-for-anglican-service-in-pope-s-church-in-rome
BREAKING: Vatican blames ‘failure in communication’ for Anglican service in pope’s church in Rome
By Tyler Arnold
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 20, 2023 / 12:13 pm

About 50 Anglican clergymen, who are not in communion with the Catholic Church, took part in religious services at the highest-ranking papal basilica in Rome on Tuesday, April 18. The Vatican later released a statement of regret, attributing the incident to a failure in communication.

The clergymen, who were accompanied by Bishop Jonathan Baker of the Church of England, are part of the Anglican Communion, which broke away from the Catholic Church in 1534 amid King Henry VIII’s frustration that he could not receive an annulment for his marriage. The Catholic Church does not consider Anglican holy orders valid and does not recognize Anglican orders as valid, which means they cannot validly celebrate Mass.

The Anglican service was celebrated at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, which is the oldest basilica in Rome and the official seat of the bishop of Rome, the pope.

In a statement issued Thursday, Bishop Guerino Di Tora, who serves as the vicar of the archpriest of the Lateran Basilica, said the incident was the result of a “failure in communication” and that he “expresses deep regret for what happened.”
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-04/holy-see-and-italy-hold-bilateral-meeting-on-2025-jubilee.html

Holy See and Italy hold bilateral meeting on 2025 Jubilee
20 April 2023, 08:47

The meeting between delegations led by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni highlighted the need for future discussions on the progress of the work, aimed at promoting an appropriate welcome for those coming to Rome for the Jubilee.
By Vatican News

In view of the upcoming Jubilee, the universal Church will celebrate in 2025, a bilateral meeting was held Wednesday afternoon between the Italian State and the Holy See.

“During the meeting, which lasted about an hour and a half, the parties expressed their gratitude for the collaboration between Italy and the Holy See and their expectation for an event that will be able to make a spiritual and cultural contribution to the city of Rome and the country,” the Holy See Press Office stated in a press release. “In concluding the meeting, the need was highlighted for further moments of exchange to follow the progress of the work, aimed at fostering an appropriate welcome for those pilgrims and faithful who will reach the city on the occasion of the Jubilee Year.”
 

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2023/04/rome-to-begin-jubilee-preparations-in-july
Rome to begin jubilee preparations in July
By Elise Ann Allen
Apr 20, 2023

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Synod Continental Stage: The conclusion of the Second Stage of the 2021-2024 synodal process

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-04/synod-continental-stage-conclusion-press-conference.html
Synod Continental Stage: ‘Most innovative aspect of synodal process'
20 April 2023, 16:12

The Continental Stage of the 2021-2024 synodal process brought to light “seeds of synodality” present on every continent, while the spiritual conversation method promoted “profound unity”.
By Sr Bernadette M. Reis, fsp

On the occasion of the conclusion of the Second Stage of the 2021-2024 synodal process, a press conference took place in the Holy See Press Office on the morning of 20 April. The Second Stage formally concluded on 31 March, the deadline for the Final Documents responding to the Working Document for the Continental Stage. This press conference took place after a week of meetings from 12 to 19 April held behind closed doors in the General Secretariat of the Synod. Twenty-two people, representing various aspects of the synod process, participated in this meeting to analyze the seven Final Documents in view of formulating the Instrumentum Laboris, the working document for the first session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to take place in the Vatican in October 2023.
 

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https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254145/a-sculpture-of-jesus-is-taking-travelers-by-surprise-at-rome-s-airport

A sculpture of Jesus at Rome’s airport is taking travelers by surprise
By Peter Pinedo
Washington D.C., Apr 20, 2023 / 12:47 pm

The next time you are flying through Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport you can see Jesus at Terminal 1.

The renowned Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s famous sculpture Salvator Mundi (Savior of the World) is on display at Rome’s airport.

Created by Bernini in 1679 and crafted entirely out of marble, Salvator Mundi is a Baroque masterpiece and the last sculpture finished by the master carver before he died in 1680.

The bust depicts Jesus with long, curling hair, looking serenely outward and stretching out his hand as if in blessing.

Salvator Mundi was only rediscovered in 2001 and can normally be seen at Rome’s Basilica of San Sebastiano Fuori le Mura.

The airport gained permission from the Italian Interior Ministry to display the piece for a limited time to commemorate Terminal 1’s grand reopening.

According to a statement by Aeroporti di Roma, the company that manages the Rome area airports, the display opened on April 12 and is part of the airport’s effort “to promote local and national art and culture among Italian and foreign passengers.”

According to The Art Newspaper, Bernini’s famous work will remain on display at the airport for approximately four weeks.
 

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-papal-foundation-scandals-damage-church-charity-work.html

Pope to Papal Foundation: Financial scandals damage Church charity work
21 April 2023, 11:34

Pope Francis meets with a delegation of the Papal Foundation as it concludes its annual pilgrimage to Rome, and commends its generous contribution to the Holy See’ charitable work and its transparent financial management of funds.
By Lisa Zengarini

Pope Francis praised members of the U.S.-based Papal Foundation for assisting  the Bishop of Rome in fulfilling  his mission, noting that , through their generous support to Catholic charity projects throughout the world and the transparent management of funds, they offer a “visible sign of unity” with the Successor of Peter.
 
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2023/april.index.html
Speeches 2023 April
To the members of the "Papal Foundation" (21 April 2023)

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-04/pope-francis-to-bring-closeness-to-hungary-faithful.html

Pope Francis to bring closeness to Hungary's faithful
21 April 2023, 12:49

With the motto 'Christ is our future,' Pope Francis returns to Hungarian territory to bring his closeness to Hungary's faithful. This marks his 41st Apostolic Visit abroad, after having celebrated closing Mass in 2021 of 52nd International Eucharist Congress, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, tells journalists, while pointing out that this travel, however, takes place as Europe faces a migration and humanitarian crisis, as the war in Ukraine takes place across the border.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis is set to embark on his 41st Apostolic Journey abroad to the Central European nation of Hungary, even if it is not the first time the Holy Father was in the nation's capital after having presided over the Closing Mass of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress, recalled Matteo Bruni, Director of the Holy See Press Office, in a briefing to share details on the visit on Friday.

With the motto 'Christ is our future,' Pope Francis will set out on his three-day visit to the majority-Christian nation, underscored the Director of the Press Office, even if this time the Pope's message for hope will echo in a new way as the war in Ukraine provokes increased suffering on the nation's northeast border.
 

Itinerary--
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/travels/2023/outside/documents/ungheria-2023.html
APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
to HUNGARY
28 - 30 APRIL 2023

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-04/holy-see-curial-departments-sign-new-agreement-on-child-protect.html

Holy See: Curial departments sign new agreement on child protection
21 April 2023, 15:20

With this new agreement, the Commission for the Protection of Minors and the Section for the First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization will be working together at the service of the particular Churches in the area of prevention of abuse of the most fragile persons.
By Vatican News

Cardinal Seán O’Malley and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle met together on Friday, 21 April, in the offices of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to sign a memorandum of understanding between the Commission and the Dicastery for Evangelization’s Section for the First Evangelization and New Particular Churches.

The new agreement helps the two Vatican departments work together in service of the particular Churches in the area of prevention of the abuse of the most fragile, and follows from Pope Francis’ reform of the Roman Curia with the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium.

Speaking with Vatican News immediately after the signing ceremony, the two Cardinals emphasized that the enhanced collaboration aims at promoting concrete structural change to build a culture of safeguarding, with service to victims, the local Churches, and the Bishops at the heart of the initiative.

Read the interview with Cardinal O’Malley and Cardinal Tagle with Vatican Radio's Christopher Wells (full audio below):
 

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Hmmm,,,

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254152/coptic-patriarch-to-offer-orthodox-divine-liturgy-in-st-john-lateran-basilica
Coptic Patriarch to offer Orthodox Divine Liturgy in St. John Lateran Basilica
By Courtney Mares
Rome Newsroom, Apr 21, 2023 / 09:25 am

The head of the Coptic Church is scheduled to offer the Orthodox Divine Liturgy in the Catholic Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome on May 14.

According to Father Martin Browne, an official at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, this liturgy will take place in the context of an official visit of Coptic Pope Tawadros II of Alexandria to the Vatican and “has been arranged following appropriate consultation.”

In comments to the National Catholic Register on April 21, Browne drew a distinction between the Orthodox liturgy scheduled for May and the unapproved Anglican service that took place this week in the same basilica.

The Catholic Church recognizes the Orthodox Church’s sacraments as valid, even if still in schism, while the Church does not recognize Anglican orders as valid, which means they cannot validly celebrate Mass.

“Pope Tawadros will celebrate at a specially constructed altar and not the main altar of the basilica,” Browne said, noting that the Anglican service also did not take place at the main altar.

“The liturgy will be for the Coptic faithful in Italy, which again gives it a different character to one involving solely pilgrim clergy,” he added.

Pope Tawadros II, who has led the Coptic Church since 2012, will visit Rome from May 9–14 and will appear beside Pope Francis at the general audience on Wednesday, May 10, where he will speak, according to a report by Aleteia.

Browne underlined that “the context of his visit is very particular — the 50th anniversary of the first meeting of the heads of the Churches of Rome and Alexandria after a millennium and a half of estrangement.”
 

https://aleteia.org/2023/04/20/a-1st-coptic-patriarch-will-join-pope-francis-and-speak-at-may-10-general-audience/
A 1st: Coptic Patriarch will join Pope Francis and speak at May 10 general audience
published on 04/20/23

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https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2023-04/china-hong-kong-bishop-chow-catholics-unity.html

Hong Kong Bishop visits Beijing in the name of unity
21 April 2023, 16:39

Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan concluded a five-day visit to Beijing at the invitation of Archbishop Li Shan. He was thus able to meet the Catholic community of the Chinese capital. The purpose of the visit was to promote communion between the two dioceses.
By Vatican News

The Bishop of Hong Kong, Stephen Chow Sau-yan, concluded a five-day trip to Beijing on Friday 21 April. The prelate was accompanied by his auxiliary, Bishop Joseph Ha, his vicar, Father Peter Choy, and his personal secretary, layman Wong Ka-chun. The visit took place following the invitation of the Archbishop of Beijing, Joseph Li Shan.

On the first day, Monday 17 April, a moment of common prayer was held at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Saviour (Beitang), attended by several dozen faithful. A picture of Jesuit Father Matteo Ricci, a missionary in China between the 16th and 17th centuries, was placed in front of the altar. Ricci, who was declared Venerable last December, is much beloved by Chinese Catholics. Pope Francis has described him as "a man of the culture of encounter ... among the first to establish a bridge of friendship between China and the West, implementing a still valid model of inculturation of the Christian message in the Chinese world" (Address 9 May 2022).