The death of Pope Benedict XVI was headline of the “official” website of the Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics, the Church body controled by the Chinese Communist Party.
“Let us entrust Benedict XVI to God’s mercy and ask him to guarantee him eternal rest in paradise,” read a post on chinacatholic.cn of the Patriotic Association.
The head of the “official” Catholic body, Archbishop Giuseppe Li Shan, was nominated to the post in 2007 with the approval of Benedict XVI, said a report on AsiaNews.
The news of Benedict XVI’s death was taken from the official communication on the pontiff’s death released by the Holy See preceded by the title “Pope emeritus Benedict XVI rests in the arms of the Lord.”
Meanwhile, the space dedicated to the death of the pontiff on xinde.org, the site most read by Catholic communities in mainland China, took a much larger space.
AsiaNews’ report noted as “significant” the gallery of images on the life of Benedict XVI that includes a photograph that portrays him together with a group of Chinese faithful in the courtyard of St. Peter’s Basilica.
In Hong Kong, Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan urged the faithful to express their condolences on the death of the pontiff by visiting the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
In Taiwan, President Tsai Ing-wen designated former vice president Chen Chien-jen, a Catholic, to participate on behalf of the government in the funeral of Benedict XVI on January 5 in Rome.
Chen Chien-jen also took part in the beatification of John Paul II, meeting Pope Francis during the occasion.
