A few statistics

There are two Catholic Churches in Communist China - one "Catholic" Church is state run and doesn't have ties with the pope; the other, true Catholic Church is in union with Rome and is routinely persecuted.

On his wonderful What Does the Prayer Really Say? blog, Fr. Z posted some statistics about the situation in the last great Communist super power:

Some figures from China

Catholics: 12,000,000
Dioceses: 138
Adult baptisms in 2004: 150,000

THE OFFICIAL CHURCH

Bishops: 67
Priests: 1,870
Seminaries: 14
Seminarians: 580
Sisters: 3,500
Novitiates: 40
Novices: 800

THE CLANDESTINE CHURCH

Bishops: 44
Priests: 1,100
Seminaries: 10
Seminarians: 800
Sisters: 1,700
Novitiates: 20
Novices: 800

Bishops in prison or missing: 17
Priests in prison: 20

Sources: Holy Spirit Study Center of Hong Kong, Asia News.

I was gladdened by the fact that the clandestine Church has many more seminarians than the Patriotic Church does. The pattern in history is that persecution breeds sanctity.

Please pray for the persecuted Church!