September 20: Saint Pius X, Ernesto Nathan and Ernesto Buonaiuti

For most devout Catholics, the date of 20th September, especially at the beginning of the last century, was not a day to celebrate. It was a day that commemorated the end of the temporal power of the Popes, a historical event that took place, which was too overwhelming and heartbreaking at least for most Catholics. In fact, recent historiography has also highlighted the purely anti-Catholic aspect of the Risorgimento, the role of Freemasonry which was certainly not secondary.

Missionaries From Macau to the World: Saint Lazarus Islands (62)

Investigators Jin Guo Ping and Wu Zhiliang refer us to the Guangdong Tongzhi (Guangdong General Chronicle) by Jin Guangzhu: “On the 5th day of the 8th moon of the 26th year (July 24, 1598) of the Wanli Reign (1573 – 1615), people from Lução suddenly came to anchor in Haojing’ao (Baía de Vieira, Macau), requesting the presentation of tributes. The governor of Guangdong,  deeming their entry illegal, decided to expel them. The Portuguese of Macau also reinforced their defense, preventing the landing of the luções.

“Defending the Faith Without Raising Your Voice”

The story goes back to March 2010, when Benedict XVI’s visit to Britain was announced for September 16-19 of that year. The atheist leaders responded with a ferocious campaign. Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens proposed that, on arrival, the Pope be put in jail and tried by the British courts. The press announced that the visit would cost £19 million, raising an outcry of scandal.

China’s Hankou Diocese has New Bishop

On September 8, 2021, Bishop Francis Cui Qingqi was ordained as the new bishop of Hankou, Wuhan, Hubei, China. The 57-year-old bishop is the sixth bishop to be consecrated in China according to the terms of the provisional agreement which the Holy See signed with the Chinese government in September 2018. This means that Bishop Cui’s appointment is with the approval of both the state and the Church.