Retired Bishop ArquimÃnio Rodrigues da Costa of Macau has voiced concern about the future of the Catholic Church in the People's Republic of China.
"If the regime remains in power, I do not see that the Catholic Church could have a future in China other than that of a persecuted Church," Bishop Rodrigues said last week in Fatima, during a seminar on "Christianity in China."
The bishop, who lived in Macau from 1938 to 1989, pointed out that the Chinese government "wants to control everything, including religions. And there are reports to confirm this."
Macau, a former Portuguese territory located in the delta of the Pearl River, near Hong Kong, returned to Chinese rule in December 1999.
The seminar, organized by the Divine Word Missionaries, was under the aegis of the Jorge Alvares Foundation and the Portuguese branch of the Germany-based international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.