Cardinal Chow in tears during prayer for Pope Francis at China’s Sheshan basilica
Tuesday, 4 March 2025 ()
Cardinal Stephen Chow Sau-yan, SJ, archbishop of Hong Kong, China / Daniel Ibáñez
Rome Newsroom, Mar 4, 2025 / 11:55 am (CNA).
Cardinal Stephen Chow, the Jesuit bishop of Hong Kong, was moved to tears as he and Bishop Joseph Shen Bin of Shanghai led prayers for Pope Francis at the Basilica of Our Lady of Sheshan, one of China’s most significant Catholic pilgrimage sites.
The Diocese of Hong Kong revealed on March 3 that during the Mass at the Marian shrine, the two bishops recited together the Prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan for the health of the 88-year-old pope, who is battling pneumonia and has been hospitalized in Rome since Feb. 14.
“I was genuinely touched, and I found myself in tears during the prayer,” Chow told the Sunday Examiner, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Hong Kong.
“This location carries immense importance for the Church in China, and it was meaningful to pray alongside Bishop Shen for the Holy Father here.”
The Mass took place on Feb. 25 as part of Chow’s five-day visit to Shanghai with a delegation from Hong Kong. The trip included stops at St. Ignatius Cathedral in Xujiahui, the Sheshan Seminary, and several pilgrimage and religious sites.
*Shanghai’s controversial bishop *
Bishop Shen Bin, who presided over the Mass with Chow, has made headlines in recent years after his appointment violated the Vatican-China deal. His transfer to Shanghai in April 2023 by the Chinese government — without prior Vatican approval — sparked tensions between China and the Holy See.
Pope Francis confirmed Shen Bin’s appointment months later with the hope of promoting communion in the Shanghai Diocese.
Since 2022, Shen Bin has been the president of a group called the Council of Chinese Bishops, a state-sanctioned bishops’ conference not recognized by the Vatican. He previously was the vice president of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association established by the Chinese Communist Party and under the control of the United Front Work Department.
National Shrine and Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Sheshan, also known as Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians, in Shanghai, China. lobia, Wikimedia.
The Shanghai bishop is expected to take part in China’s annual “Two Sessions” meetings, a major political gathering in Beijing, from March 4–11.
Despite these tensions, Chow noted that the Diocese of Shanghai tries to maintain a delicate balance between the Church and civic society and underlined his vision that “the Church is called to be a bridge of dialogue and communion.”
*Pope Francis’ dream to visit Our Lady of Sheshan shrine *
The Basilica of Our Lady of Sheshan holds deep significance for Chinese Catholics. Pope Benedict XVI designated May 24, the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, as the Church’s annual World Day of Prayer for the Church in China. Thousands of Chinese Catholics traditionally make the annual pilgrimage up the Sheshan hill to the Marian shrine on the feast day.
Pope Francis has expressed a personal devotion to Our Lady of Sheshan, keeping a statue of the Marian figure in his Vatican residence. The statue was gifted to him in the Sistine Chapel immediately after his election in 2013 by Hong Kong’s then-Cardinal John Tong, according to the Italian newspaper La Stampa.
In an interview last year, Pope Francis reiterated his long-held dream of visiting China and praying at the Sheshan shrine, a site originally established by Jesuit missionaries in the 19th century.
Chow’s visit to Shanghai follows the cardinal’s previous trips to Guangzhou and Beijing in recent years, making a continued effort in Pope Francis’ vision of dialogue building with the Church in mainland China.
During their visit to Shanghai, Chow and his delegation engaged in a range of religious and cultural exchanges. Their itinerary included visits to the Tangzhen Church, designated as a pilgrimage site for the jubilee year, as well as interfaith stops at a mosque, a Buddhist temple, and a Taoist temple.
The group also toured economic and technological development centers, such as the Yangtze River Delta G60 Science and Technology Corridor, highlighting Shanghai’s rapid modernization.
“I feel the Shanghai Diocese appreciated our visit, and I look forward to their reciprocal visit to the Hong Kong Diocese in the future,” Chow said.
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