Dear Friends:

Habemus Papam! It is with great joy that the Cardinal Kung Foundation celebrates the election of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as Pope Benedict XVI. Choosing his name in honor of both Pope Benedict XV and Saint Benedict, the Holy Father signaled that he will seek to be an instrument of the Lord's healing and reconciling power in the Church and in the world. Pope Benedict has also made clear that this is a power that always presupposes the defense of both authentic unity and the totality of the Church's Magisterium endowed upon her by Christ. Let us pledge our prayers and our obedience.

  Request for Letters of Testimony for Cardinal Kung's Cause  

I have been informed that Bishop Lori, the Bishop of Bridgeport, has received a number of letters requesting him to open the cause for Cardinal Kung's Beatification. Bishop Lori is now reviewing these letters and is working on the possibility of opening the cause of Cardinal Kung. I am afraid that I have no further news. Whatever I should have done regarding the cause has been done. It is now entirely Bishop Lori's decision. We must wait. I will keep you informed immediately through our website when I receive any news from Bishop Lori. In the meantime, with added urgency I encourage those of you who have not done so to write testimonial letters about Cardinal Kung's sanctity and about his living his faith heroically. As I understand it, we need a very large volume, perhaps thousands, of these letters in order to convince Bishop Lori and the Vatican to open the Cause sooner, not later. So far we have only received less than 100 such letters plus a couple hundred letters requesting relics. We have a long way to go. Some people thought that others will be writing, so they thought that they do not have to write. Some thought that their letters will not be important since they are not priests and nuns. They are wrong. If you believe that Cardinal Kung had lived his faith heroically and is a model for your spiritual life, we urge you to write.

For the benefit of those who have just joined us, and in view of the importance of this matter, please allow me to repeat what we have said in our previous newsletters. You may want to include in your letter one or more or all of the following points if you consider them true about Cardinal Kung's life: 1) Cardinal Kung is not just a "wonderful good person," not just a good Catholic, but a person of great sanctity; 2) Cardinal Kung is not just better than the ordinary Catholic, but a Catholic with outstanding spirit: a person whose life is not only exemplary, but also has been an instrument of the Holy Spirit's building up the Church in an extraordinary way; 3) Cardinal Kung is a friend with an open heart, listening to the people who ask for help; 4) as a Catholic, Cardinal Kung not only continues to be a friend of ours, but is a special friend of God, interceding for us; and 5) Cardinal Kung has an outstanding quality, reputation and holiness that has earned your admiration.

If you remember Cardinal Kung with regard to any of the points above, please also explain: 1) when and how you remember or know him, 2) what struck you most about him, 3) why you consider him outstanding and worthy to be canonized, 4) if you pray to him, how often, 5) if you are currently praying to the Cardinal for an intention, and 6) any favors received through the intercession of the Cardinal. You do not have to have met Cardinal Kung or talked to him in order to write. Whether you know the Cardinal only from reading his life story, or you have seen the Cardinal only briefly, or you know him well, you can write about if and how the Cardinal led you closer to God. Moreover, the Vatican does not need a literary masterpiece, but a simple, honest recollection from your heart.

Cardinal Kung's life represented the spirit and struggle of the Roman Catholic Church in China. The opening of his Cause will be a great encouragement and recognition of the continued suffering of the underground Church due to its fidelity and obedience to the Vicar of Christ on earth. There is no better way to thank Cardinal Kung for his positive influence on your spiritual life and on the Church than to submit a testimony for his Cause. Your testimony is your personal acknowledgment and approval of Cardinal Kung's life. No one else can speak for you. Do not wait because you think that someone else is writing. It is extremely important that you write your thoughts and testimony in order to make the Cause successful.

Testimonial letters should be sent to Most Reverend William E. Lori, Bishop of Bridgeport, 238 Jewett Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06606-2892. Please also send a copy to the Cardinal Kung Foundation so that we can compile the documents for the future Postulator.

  Meeting With the Underground Religious in Rome  

I traveled to Rome for 5 days in early July to meet with approximately 75 underground priests, deacons, seminarians, and nuns currently studying in Italy, France, England, Spain, Germany, the Philippines and elsewhere. There are 30 to 40 more underground religious who could not join us in Rome because of other assignments. One purpose of this meeting was to offer these underground religious an opportunity to meet underground religious from other dioceses in order to exchange their experiences and ideas among themselves, because it was not only impossible for them to move freely in communist China to consult with each other, but also difficult for them to meet together in Europe because of many geographic locations and financial considerations. Meeting them personally also gave the Foundation an opportunity to update our information on their situations and the situations of their dioceses in the hope to find better ways of serving their needs. For the past few years, The Cardinal Kung Foundation has been playing a major role in supporting their living expenses while they pursue their studies outside of China. This was the first time that they met all together among all dioceses. Also, up until now, I had corresponded with them only through letters, telephone calls, and emails. This was the first time that I was able to meet them all in person. This meeting was initiated and sponsored by the Cardinal Kung Foundation.

Although other Board Directors of the Foundation and I have been working for the benefits of the underground Roman Catholic Church for the last 15 years, actually - and all of a sudden, so it seemed - being with them and seeing these 75 underground young priests and other religious together is something beyond my ability to describe, especially when my wife and I attended their daily Mass at 6:30 AM for three days in a row. The Mass was concelebrated by some 30 underground priests together in one room. It was truly awe inspiring with grace overflowing. We sang and prayed together.

Most of these religious have been studying in Europe for several years and are very well assimilated to the European society. They speak the languages of their respective host countries very fluently. The new arrivals are catching up with their languages. Approximately 10 percent of them are studying for Ph.D.s in theology, Canon Law, and various other disciplines in the major Catholic Universities throughout Europe including Rome. Several have already finished their dissertations and are nearing the end of their programs. Many are pursuing their Masters' degrees. Still more new comers are struggling for their Bachelors'. I am proud to say that many graduates have already returned to China, serving their bishops in various capacities, but most of them are teaching in their underground seminaries. They need many books in their seminary libraries. The Foundation promised to bring their needs to our benefactors. Even after living in the capitals of the west for many years, these dedicated young priests and nuns are looking forward to returning to China as soon as they finish studies regardless of the great risks of persecutions and poverty ahead of them. "I cannot forget my diocese and I cannot wait to return to China" echoed the sentiments of this group and was so commonly heard throughout the meetings.

Cassocks for Our Priests & Seminarians. Habits for Our Nuns. Breviaries for Everyone - The Foundation has been assisting the living expenses of these religious by offering daily Mass stipends to all the priests and US $1,200 to all seminarians, deacons, and nuns. We give them US $ 1,200 due to the limited resources of the Foundation. That is barely enough for their minimum needs: text books, transportation, lunch, and personal miscellaneous items. I have noticed that many of them have no copies of a Breviary in the languages of their respective host countries, that many priests and seminarians have no cassocks and that many nuns have no habits because they could not afford them. I announced near the end of the meeting that anyone who needs a copy of a Breviary in the language of his/her host country, a cassock, or a nun's habit, the Foundation will assist them to obtain these essentials. They were overwhelmed with joy and broke into a roar of applause! Now, I must appeal to you to help me to fulfill our promise to them.

The Work and Living Conditions of our Nuns in China - There were approximately 30 nuns attending the meeting. I could not help but notice that all of them are so thin as if they are suffering from malnutrition. Many of them just arrived from China about a year ago. Seeing their condition so thin after living in the West for a year dawned on me how much worse it must be the living conditions of those nuns who are still in China. If any of you has any contacts for buying with good discounts large quantities of multi-vitamins, calcium with vitamin D and fish oil pills, please let us know. We need to buy thousands of them not only to ship to those nuns studying in Europe but also to those who are still in China.

These 30 nuns belong to five different communities in various dioceses. Most of them have been with the convents for an average of 12 years and have been professed with the perpetual vows. Typically, when they were in China, the professed nuns live in small units of 2-3 nuns. They lived in a small room offered by an underground Catholic family. As an underground religious order, they cannot have property and must move rather frequently whenever they are in danger of being discovered by the government. Each unit will have the responsibility to evangelize a couple of villages as the priest can only visit once every 3-4 months. The nuns will teach doctrine to adults and children to prepare them for Baptism, first Holy Communion and Confirmation. They will visit the sick. On Sunday, the nuns will lead a prayer service, read the gospel and other readings since there is no priest to offer Mass. Of course, their work must be carried out in secret as the underground Church is not allowed to evangelize. Most underground Catholics are very poor but they are generous to offer lodging free to these nuns. However, the nuns must provide their own food, transportation and other living expenses.

The postulants and novices undertake 4 years for formation before they take the first temporary vows. After about 3 temporary vows of one or two years apart, they will take a perpetual vow, typically after 10 years of religious life. During the 4 years of formation, they live in groups of 6-8 novices led by a novice mistress. These novices belong to the same year of formation. They also will live in a room provided by a Catholic family, typically in a farm. There, they pray, study, eat, work and sleep together in the same room. A typical day consists of about 5 hours of prayers (5 decades of the rosary recited as a community, 10 decades of the rosary by themselves, reciting their offices together and other prayers), one hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, 4 hours of studies of Scripture, doctrine, and lives of the saints, and devotions and spirituality. They cook and share their house work. They seldom go out because a large group will easily be discovered. If the government discovers them, they have to quickly pack up and move to another location; otherwise, they risk being arrested. God has blessed the underground Church with plenty of vocations. Among these 5 communities, they have a total of approximately three hundred novices. However, these communities have serious financial problems as they simply have no resources to feed such large group of novices. Their diet consists mainly of rice and some vegetables. They very seldom can afford eggs, fish or meat. They nearly never buy clothing. Most of their clothing is handed down from the family members of the novices. These young ladies chose to follow their vocation in an underground religious order rather than to pursue the physical and economical security offered by the Patriotic Association religious orders. Without these religious, the evangelization in the underground Church will suffer significantly since there is an insufficient number of priests to cover such vast territories in China.

Can You Adopt A Novice? - For 55 U.S. Cents a day ($100 per 6 months), the convent will be able to feed a novice. Underground Catholics have made enormous sacrifices to provide lodging to the novices. Can we, in the United States, not extend our hands to put food on their table? If you can commit to adopting a novice for 6 months (I hope this will be in addition to your regular donation to the Foundation's other programs), we will send your name and your intention to the novice who will remember your intention everyday. We will also send you the name of the novice that you are supporting. Without your support, these convents may need to turn away young ladies who are so eager to devote their lives to the suffering Church. You also could benefit by this spiritual adoption through the daily prayers of the adopted novice: if you are praying for the conversion of a relative or friend, for the return of a family member to the sacraments, for the recovery from serious illness in the family, for the repose of the soul of a loved one, for employment, for a happy marriage, just to name a few situations. How fortunate to have a novice to remember our intentions daily! Adopt a novice to honor the memory of a deceased relative or friend. Encourage your children as a group to adopt a novice. Through this awareness, they too may consider religious life. If you are a religious community, adopt a novice of the underground Church so that your community will be blessed with vocations. We need 100 adoptions urgently. Please consider making a sacrifice of 55 cents a day. If you have the financial ability to commit to one year at a time, it will greatly reduce our administration expenses in our communication with the religious communities.

Underground Religious Medical Emergency Fund - Many of these underground religious in Europe have no medical insurance. For those who do have the insurance, it covers only 60% of the expenses. Because they have to pay the other 40%, which could be costly considering the meager monthly allowance they have, the religious simply do not see a physician when they should - when the symptom is early - until there is a serious sickness. This is a serious problem, especially for those new arrivals. Even though it is too expensive for the Foundation to buy insurance for them, it is important for us to immediately start a reserve fund specifically for medical emergencies. We do not have it at present.

Conclusion - I cannot help but feel that in attending this meeting, I was among the giants of the future Roman Catholic Church in China. Among these religious and scholars, there must be many future bishops, religious superiors and seminary professors of the Roman Catholic Church in China. These are the future Church in China. May God take very good care of them, bless them very specially with abundant grace, and shower them with courage and wisdom to withstand the evil force of the ongoing persecution in China. We must also ask God to be especially kind to us so that God will not take these young religious with Him prematurely, but keep them with us for at least the next 50 years. We need them on earth. Let us bargain with God! Oh yes, when you pray, please do not forget to ask God for the generosity of the friends of the underground Church so that we will get enough funding to support the underground Church. We just do not have enough money. Thank you.

  Ordination of a Patriotic Association Bishop in Shanghai  

A Patriotic Association priest, Giuseppe Xing Wenzhi, 42 years old, was ordained auxiliary bishop of Shanghai on June 28, 2005 by another Bishop Aloyious Jin, Patriotic Association Bishop of Shanghai. Many people have asked me to comment on the significance of this ordination. Here are my observations.

1. The Holy See, as of the time of the printing of this newsletter, has not said a single word regarding the ordination of Father Xing Wenzhi.  Therefore, we do not know whether the Holy See has approved this ordination or not.

2. According to a report from Asianews, the newly ordained Bishop Xing said publicly that "he received the nomination of the Holy See."  This was confirmed by the Patriotic Association Bishop of  Shanghai to a foreign reporter. 

3. Since it is not likely - and downright ridiculous - that the Holy See would appoint the Patriotic Association bishops as its   spokespersons to announce to the world that Bishop Xing has received the nomination of the Holy See while the Holy See itself remains silent, I personally do not feel that I can rely on the words of these two Patriotic Association Bishops. 

4. However, AsiaNews reported that "its sources say the choice 'was approved by the Holy see' without saying what sources they are.  

5. In the meantime, the religious bureau of the Chinese government has said: "the Vatican has nothing to do with it."

6. Inasmuch as the Holy See has maintained silence in spite of the contradicting announcements and reports of the two Patriotic bishops, the Chinese government and the press release of the Asianews about this ordination, we simply do not know what the truth is.  We believe that the Vatican should clarify this ordination so that we will not be forced to listen to any unofficial and unproven sources.

7. Therefore, I am of the opinion that Asia News is premature and is misleading the public when it reports that "The acceptance of a bishop nominated by the Holy See" without quoting its source in such an important matter.

8. Moreover, according to AP, "He (Msg. Xin) pledged in his vows to 'loyally serve' the Pope..."  Please note that Msg. Xin failed to pledge his OBEDIENCE to the Pope.  "Loyally serving" the Pope is not sufficient to be in full communion with the Pope.   Anyone, including non-Catholics, can loyally serve the Pope, but it is the obedience to the Pope that constitutes the necessary condition to be in full communion with the Pope.  The late Pope John Paul II once said clearly: "A Catholic who wishes to remain such and to be recognized as such cannot reject the principle of communion with the successor of Peter (the Pope)."  

  Website Prayer Room Is Now Working  

I invite you to visit our new prayer room at the Cardinal Kung Foundation website (www.cardinalkungfoundation.org). You are most welcome to add your prayer intentions there. Everyday, a group of underground seminarians and religious join the prayers of those in the prayer room to pray for their intentions.

  Essay Contest: the Winners Have Been Selected  

Earlier this year we announced our sponsoring of an essay contest among high school students to honor the fifth anniversary of the death of Ignatius Cardinal Kung and to increase the awareness of the persecution of the Roman Catholic Church in China. The following are excerpts from the winners of the contest with nominal editing.

Anastasia from Massachusetts wrote: "I think spending thirty-two years in prison is the most important moment for both the Cardinal and for our holy Catholic Church. This time, perhaps, seems to be the quietest in this active Cardinal's life, but I think it is by far the greatest. This is a time when some doubted his courage. He was surrounded by enemies, attempting to poison his mind by trying to make him join the Catholic Patriotic Association. However, with great resolve he refused to back down, praying the rosary with his fingers because he had been denied everything. The only thing Cardinal Kung had for thirty years was his faith in God and his undying zeal to be a model to China."

Anthony from Massachusetts wrote: "A few months after his arrest on September 8, 1955, Cardinal Kung was taken to an old dog-racing stadium in Shanghai, in front of an enormous crowd and was told to reject the Pope publicly and openly admit his so-called crimes. But even in this hour of persecution, he did not waver. Into the microphone he shouted, "Long live Christ the King. Long live the Pope." He fearlessly and openly professed his faith in the midst of both believers and non-believers. How often we are afraid to show we are Catholics and followers of Jesus Christ. We should pray to Cardinal Kung for spiritual strength and make him a model to imitate as we go through the trials and tribulations of life…..These important moments in the life of Cardinal Kung show how, with the assistance, help, and grace of God, one man can be so feared especially when God's will is done above all other things. Truly Cardinal Kung deserves to be numbered among the greatest of those who kept God's commandments. "But he that shall do (My commandments) and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20).

Veronica from Massachusetts wrote: "In June 1991, Pope John Paul II presented Cardinal Kung with the cardinal's red hat. In front of 9,000 guests in the audience hall, the 90-year-old bishop put aside his cane and walked up the stairs to kneel at the foot of the Pope. He was given the red hat and lifted up by the Holy Father while a seven-minute standing ovation followed. This was one of the Cardinal Kung's last public gestures of complete submission to and reverence for the papal authority."

Kristina from Massachusetts wrote: "The enduring faithfulness to Christ's Church that Cardinal Kung displayed throughout the course of his life makes him an inspiration and hero to not only the Catholics of China but to all of Christendom."

Andrea from Connecticut wrote: "For many people, spending three decades in confinement and without receiving basic human rights of other prisoners would have caused a mental breakdown. Since he had continual faith in God and practiced constant prayer, he returned from prison, not angry towards, God, but with a strengthened faith. Many would have asked, "Why me?" Instead Cardinal Kung bore this cross God had given him with remarkable strength and fidelity. He firmly kept his ordination vows, never denying for Whom he was working, and in doing so was an inspiration for other priests and bishops…..All things have a place in God's plan in life. Cardinal Kung has become known so that he might allow the world to understand the persecutions that are happening within China. From His story, let the word be spread that communism is till alive and well. It can't be fought if no one knows it's spreading. Hopefully, through God's grace, Cardinal Kung's story will alleviate the suffering of the underground Roman Catholic Church in China and put an end to the heretical Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association."

Jennifer from Massachusetts wrote: "During the months before his arrest in 1955, the then Bishop Kung stood by his clergy and faithful of China in spite of many offers of safe passage out of China." Each time he refused to leave his flock, he made an act of selfless charity and dutiful obedience which cannot be admired enough. His people needed his guidance and he was there to give of himself to his Church ….The moment of his sentence to life imprisonment was a defining one in the life of this saintly Cardinal. It revealed to him and to his Catholics that he had indeed represented a threat to the government's plans and thus was indeed on the right path. It must have brought home to Cardinal Kung the realization that here began his real suffering for Christ, and must have strengthened the faith of those persecuted when they saw that their bishop was ready to face such torture."

John from Connecticut wrote: "In my opinion, everyone should follow Cardinal Kung's example of religious steadfastness even under extreme conditions of persecutions especially during his imprisonment during the latter part of his life. He set the stage for other people to express their faith and not let anyone discriminate against them. He is the model of a present-day martyr."

Kenzie from Connecticut wrote: "Cardinal Kung had spent the last twelve years giving interviews and homilies to call attention to the conditions in the Catholic Church in China."

Devon from Connecticut wrote: "By silently spending more than one-third of his life in jail, he made the loudest statement there is to make. Every moment he spent in prison was a moment the Catholic Church still remained in China. The courage and bravery displayed by Cardinal Kung is second to none. Many would have denied their faith, in order to not have to sacrifice their freedom. But not Cardinal Kung.. He took the path less traveled by, and in the end that made all the difference."

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Joseph Kung
President