July, 1996

Dear friends,

Last month, we observed the 7th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The students' democracy march, the liberty goddess, the tanks mercilessly running over students, the bullets, the blood, the screams, the wounded, the futile attempt to save them, the corpses, the lone man against a column of tanks, and finally the government's complete denial of the massacre. Aren't the above scenes still vivid in our minds? Yes, of course.

In the last two months, in the diocese of Boading where the Holy Mother appeared last year to 30,000 pilgrims in the Shrine of Dong Lu, the Government mobilized this year 5000 soldiers with 30 armor cars and helicopters to close the Shrine. They destroyed the Shrine, confiscated the statue of our Lady and jailed the bishops, priests, and lay leaders. They also destroyed other churches in Boading, forced the Roman Catholics to join the Patriotic Association, and coerced the students to betray their church. Tortures were frequently used if the Catholics did not obey.

Doesn't it appear that the Tiananmen tragedy is repeating again in Boading?. Although the bloodshed of the Tiananmen Square is over, it's struggle continues. Boading is only one example. Other dioceses of the Roman Catholic Churches in China are also experiencing brutality and mounting suppression from the government. To the free world, life appears to have returned to "normal", so "normal" that president Clinton once again declared China the Most Favored Nation. Who, then, is the least favored?

The Press Releases dated June 17, 1996 and May 17, 1996 will keep you informed on this major escalation of the persecution.

The persecuted Roman Catholic Church in China wants only the basic right to practice its faith --- a right which is guaranteed by the United Nations; a right which is guaranteed by the Chinese constitution but never carried out!

Pray for Bishop Su Chimin, the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Boading, Hebei who is missing while in the police's custody. Pray for the persecuted Church in China who has been suffering for the last 47 years for its uncompromising fidelity to the Holy See. Pray for those brave people who assumed grave personal risks by giving us information to keep the world informed of the ongoing persecution in China.

It is very expensive and getting increasingly difficult to keep the lines of communication open with our friends in China during this turbulent time. The seminary, the novitiate and the elderly nun's home in Boading were all disbanded. We need to rebuild them. Can we rely on your help?

Your prayers, donations, and/or dissemination of the news regarding the suffering Roman Catholic church in China to your friends are deeply appreciated. May God Bless You.

Yours sincerely,

Joseph Kung
President
The Cardinal Kung Foundation

Please help with donations and with prayer.

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