The Church 'accompanies you with prayer for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit,' the pope insisted in a set of brief remarks during his daily Regina Caeli prayer.
The Holy See 'appreciates this generous gesture and expresses its gratitude to the Bishops, the Catholic faithful, the institutions and all other Chinese citizens.'
We can get at the truth by retracing the whole history of the relations between the Holy See and China during the pontificate of Benedict XVI, from 2005 to 2013.
The letter, signed by prominent English Catholics, highlights myriad horrors overseen by the Chinese government and perpetrated against the Chinese faithful.