Chinese youth make an appeal for World Youth Day in Madrid

Rome (AsiaNews) – Fifteen young Chinese Catholics would like to participate in World Youth Day scheduled for 16-21 August in Madrid (Spain). Although they work and have saved some money, they cannot sustain the cost of travel and for this reason would like to ask other young people around the world for their help.

AsiaNews received the appeal yesterday, a day before the World Day of Prayer for China, which Benedict XVI has promoted to strengthen the faith and the unity of Chinese Catholics with the universal Church and the pope.

The desire to travel to Madrid for World Youth Day is similarly motivated. “These young people live their faith in a very closed environment,” their parish priest said. “Meeting other young people who share their spirit as well as the Holy Father would be a fundamental experience of communion with the Church and of its universality.”

“Here we do not even have a church to meet,” said the priest, whose name has been withheld for security reason. “We only have a few places to pray in different parts of the city, which has four million people. Despite it, we have many faithful and many conversions each year. Owing to the difficult economic situation in this part of China, our people are materially poor, but are rich in faith and hope.”

“Among our faithful, many are young, from Christian families or recently baptised. Their courage and enthusiasm are the hope of our Church, the most important part, because they are the Church of the future.”

In order to develop their faith and communion with the pope and the Church, these young people would like to receive some financial help to go to Madrid.

“Even though they worked hard and saved money, they have only enough to pay for 60 per cent of their trip. They need another 10,000 Euros to cover everything.”

AsiaNews has decided to heed their appeal, by making it available to all its readers. Let us help the Church in China to reinforce its relationship with the pope and the universal Church, as Benedict XVI asked us.

Send your contribution to:

– Via Credit Card on the website (see function: “Your Contribution – Donate”; object: “WYD”)

– Via Post giro Account Nº 45443009 made out to Pontificio Istituto Missioni Estere, object, “WYD-Asia News”

– Via Bank Transfer to AsiaNews - C/C 6152510434/77 At Banca Intesa – Branch at 499 Via G. Carini 32/D - 00152 Roma RM; Bank number: Z 03069 05078 615251043477; IBAN: IT35 Z030 6905 0786 1525 1043 477; Swift Code: BCI TIT 22499 (object “WYD”)

– Via Non-Transferable Bank Cheque, sent to AsiaNews c/o PIME Via Guerrazzi 11 00152 Roma RM Italia (object “WYD”).