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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Lifestyle

Pope Leo prays for China’s Catholics, a thorny issue in his papacy

Pope Leo XIV leads prayers from his window in St Peter's Square at the Vatican [Vincenzo Livieri/Reuters]

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV has asked for prayers for China’s Catholics in his first reference to one of the most contentious issues that the Catholic Church and his papacy face in the arena of geopolitics.

Speaking on Sunday from the window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, the pontiff recalled the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, which falls each May 24 – a feast initiated by Pope Benedict XVI.

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