VATICAN, Sep. 21, 00 (CWNews.com) - On Sunday, October 1, Pope John Paul II will preside at the canonization of 120 Chinese martyrs, including the first Chinese natives ever to be proclaimed saints by the Catholic Church. He will also canonize a Sudanese nun who was a former slave, and the founders of two religious orders.
The Chinese government has protested the timing of the ceremony, pointing out that October 1 is a national holiday, marking the anniversary of the establishment of the country's new Communist government in 1949. The canonization has also prompted complaints in Beijing because some of the martyrs to be honored were victims of the Boxer Rebellion, which sought to eliminate European influence in China; the Beijing government now puts forward the Boxer leaders as ideological predecessors and national heroes.
The Vatican has dismissed these objections, noting that the timing of canonization ceremonies is fixed by the calendar of the Holy See, without reference to any national holidays. Moreover, Vatican officials observe that the martyrs are honored for their fidelity to the Catholic faith, not their role in political affairs.
«The canonizations concern and honor the whole Chinese population,» says Father John Chiu, who heads a center caring for Chinese immigrants in Rome. «These martyrs died between the 17th and early 20th centuries, and they were beatified between 1900 and 1946; they have nothing to do with the contemporary period of Chinese history.»
Father Chiu expects as many as 1,000 Chinese pilgrims to come to Rome for the ceremony, most of them traveling from Taiwan. There will be another 800- 1,000 from Hong Kong and Macao, he predicts, and a total of as many as 4,000 from elsewhere around the world.
Of the 120 Chinese martyrs, who are identified as «Augustin Tchao and companions,» 87 are Chinese natives-- the first Chinese ever to be canonized. The remaining 33 are missionaries who served in China.
The other three people who will be canonized on October 1 are:
Blessed Katherine Drexel (1858- 1955), the founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who was famous for her work with former slaves and American Indians, especially in the field of education. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1988.
Blessed Josefina of the Heart of Jesus (1842- 1912), founder of the Congregation of the Servants of Jesus, dedicated to care for the ill and the elderly in Spain. Since her death, the order has spread throughout the world. She was also beatified by Pope John Paul, in 1992.
Blessed Josephine Bakhita (1869- 1947), who was sold into slavery when she was a child in Sudan. Sold several times to different owners, she finally came to an Italian family through which she received instruction in the Catholic faith, and was baptized. She eventually became a Canossian nun, and lived a quiet, secluded life of prayer. But her reputation for holiness grew steadily, and the publication of her memoirs, recalling her years in slavery, drew more attention. She was beatified by Pope John Paul in 1992.
Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update