Sculptures and statues that express a growing devotion to the priest and scientist Matteo Ricci, S.J., are appearing throughout China. At the Immaculate Concep-tion Cathedral in Beijing, a bronze image of Ricci in Mandarin robes dominates the courtyard. Commissioned in 2006, it has become a site of prayer for local Chinese and foreign visitors. Ricci, who arrived in China in 1582, is regarded as the founder of the Catholic Church in China. His tomb on the grounds of the Communist Party Training Academy in Beijing was revered and protected even during the Cultural Revolution. Known in China as Li Madou, Ricci is honored secularly as a great scientist and astronomer who brought Western technology to China and adopted Chinese culture. He has recently become a focus of intercessory prayer for reconciliation between Rome and Beijing. The cause for his beatification, begun in 1984, gained momentum in 2011, the 400th anniversary of his death.
Ricci Venerated In China
Show Comments (
)
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
The latest from america
President Trump offered a vibrant demonstration of the kind of worst-case scenario Pope Leo may have had in mind about the collapse of critical thinking.
In his first appointment of a top-level official of the Roman Curia, Pope Leo XIV named Sister Tiziana Merletti, a canon lawyer, to be secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
“We were once leaders in petroleum and gas research; now we’re becoming leaders in green hydrogen and carbon capture. This isn’t just a technological shift; it’s a spiritual one.”
A cardinal reflects on his experience of the conclave