La Civiltà Cattolica
PRESS RELEASE
A BOOK IN CHINESE
ON THE MAGISTERIUM OF POPE FRANCIS
In Rome, on 13 May 2023, the presentation of a book of comments on the magisterial documents of the Holy Father, published by “La Civiltà Cattolica” during the first ten years of the Pontificate.
Rome, 3 May 2023. At 18.00 on Saturday 13 May 2023, at the premises of La Civiltà Cattolica, via di Porta Pinciana 1, Rome, the volume in Chinese The magisterium of Pope Francis. A guide to reading his Encyclicals and Apostolic Exhortations (教宗方济各牧职训导 宗座通谕及劝谕阅读指南), by Fr. Antonio Spadaro, S.J., will be presented. His Eminence Cardinal Antonio Luis Gokim Tagle, pro-prefect of the Section for First Evangelization and the new particular Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization, will speak at the event.
The volume is a collection of reflections on the most relevant documents of the first ten years of Francis’ pontificate, the fruit of the workshop of the journal La Civiltà Cattolica. It consists of comments on his three Encyclicals and his five Apostolic Exhortations. All the texts also appear on the site of the Chinese edition of the journal (公教文明), established in 2020 – https://www.gjwm.org – and also connected to a WeChat account, with the ID code gjwm1850.
The message of the volume is for both believers and all people of good will who wish to
The message of the book is both for believers and for all people of good will who can benefit from it to be better persons and citizens, capable of acting for the good of society as a whole, aware of the values that ennoble the soul and life. Fr Spadaro goes on to say: "It seems important to me to offer Chinese-speaking readers a sort of guide to reading these important texts for a deeper understanding of their message. The readers we hope to reach, in a special way, are the pastors of the People of God, priests and bishops, and also catechists and those in the Christian community who have the task of guidance".
The Secretary of State of the Holy See, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, in a letter to the editor of La Civiltà Cattolica, has praised this initiative. Pope Francis himself, for his part, has missed no opportunity to express his love for China: its people, its ancient civilization and its culture.
The international journal of the Jesuits has always lived a special harmony with the Holy See and the Pontiffs, patiently and respectfully implementing the dialogue between Christian faith and contemporary culture. And it was Pope Francis who gave La Civiltà Cattolica as a reference model for its cultural work a man who loved China unreservedly: Matteo Ricci (利玛窦) (1552-1610). In particular, Matteo Ricci composed a treatise on friendship in 1601, which was an opportunity for the mandarins and literati of the Ming court to learn about the thought of great Western philosophers; but for the Jesuit fathers and Western men of culture, it was also the basis for dialogue with the great intellectuals of China. That is why a Jesuit magazine wanted a Chinese version of it and this volume is its most recent result.
