CHINESE PRIEST

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 132, 4 May 1940, Page 9

CHINESE PRIEST

FIRST VISIT TO DOMINION. MISSIONARY INTERESTS. Although there are 2DCO native Chinese Catholic priests engaged' in helping to convert.to Christianity the 500,00(1,COO souls in China, Rev. Father Joseph Liu j' -who is now in Palmerston North, is-'tile first to have visited New Zealand. His visit is one of the. final stages of a world tour which has occupied three years, ; the main objects of his travels being to lay before Catholics all over the world the urgent need of .a large and flourishing native clergy, and to appeal on behalf of missions. He is a guest at the Catholic Presbytery in Palmerston North, and yesterday visited the Catholic schools. He will meet his own countrymen in the city, and will he the preacher at all Alasses to-morrow. Father Liit, a most interesting personality, was educated by the Franciscan Fathers in the province of Hupeh. On his missionary travels he has visited Australia, the United States. Canada, Eire, England, Scotland. Holland, Sweden, France, India, Ceylon and the Philippine Islands. He is the former rector of a Chinese seminary, and lias been accorded the honour of a. private audience with the late Pope Pius XI. Ho has lectured in languages and lieon a professor of philosophy. He is able to speak in many tongues, including- English, Latin. Spanish, Italian and French in addition to his native language. In Now Zealand he represented the Hierarchy and clergy of China n't the National Eucharistic Congress held in AA’ellington in February last. HELD BY BANDITS. Father Liu was hekP'for four months for ransom by bandits. He was proceeding to his mission at Cliumatten at the time, and when near tire'HupehKiangsi boundary his small party, which included a few soldiers, was accosted by the bandits. The soldiers fled. Father Liu was carried off a prisoner,, and the bandits demanded no less than £9OOO in ransom. “I told them that I was only a poor priest.” said Father Liu, “and could not afford to give anything. The sum demanded was gradually reduced until it was finally agreed to release me on condition that- I forwarded them some medicine. On returning to my mission I sent about £SQ worth of medicine and a short time later received a,, demand for a much greater

supply. I did not comply with the demand and was able to proceed with my work wtlioiit further interruption.” Father Liu, however, retains the marks of his long exposure in captivity and occasionally suffers from the bronchial complaint which attacked him at the time. As lie has spent 28 years working as a native missionary in China, Father Liu can give his opinions on the present- conflict in China with judgment. He said that lie did not think there would he lunch hope of an eayly peace -unless it followed the wearing out of the Japanese. The Chinese were not to lie conquered easily and tho many puppet Governments the Japanese had set up _ in various parts would have little significance in China itself. Foreign commerce had suffered through the war, and missionary effort had been greatly hampered, but the missionaries, and particularly the native Chinese, were nutting greater vigour into their work. There was a great deal of work to be done in solving the refugee problem. said Father Liu. who added that Afarslial Chiang Kai-shek was a broadminded Protestant who encouraged the efforts of the Catholic missionaries. ' ' INTEREST IN RELIGION. “The Chinese people are simple, earnest, sincere and peaceful,” added Father Liu. “They are deeply interested in religion and it is the huge task of the 30 native Chinese Catholic bishops and the 120 foreign bishops working in China to bring the light of Christian faith to them. To do so, we must have the .co-operation and assistance of the Catholic people ill all parts of the world. It is part of my duly during this visit to explain to the people of New Zealand how they can assist us in our great task, both by their prayers and their temporal assistance. In addition I hope to induce some courageous Christians to take up mission work in China.” Father Liu said that the foreign missionary societies working in China received strong support from their, home countries, hut with the_ native vicariates the position was difFeient. Because' of the poverty of Chinese Catholics, a position greatly intensified by the pre'sent war, no local support was given the priests, sisters lay helpers and works of mercy conducted in tho various provinces.