CHINA - At Easter more than 22 000 baptisms were administered in the continental Catholic community

Shi Jia Zhuang (Agenzia Fides) - According to statistics that the Study Center of Faith in He Bei managed to collect up to 19 April, which was sent to Fides, during Easter 2012, a total of 22,104 baptisms were administered in the continental Catholic communities. Despite this result, "the community is fully aware of the need for further work of evangelization." "It is true that we have dioceses that do not focus all baptisms at Easter, according to the cycle of catechism or other solemnities of the Church – underlines the head of the Study Center of Faith - but we cannot but consider that more than 22 000 baptisms at Easter, in a Catholic community like ours, Chinese, which has over 6 million members, represent only 0.33%. Instead, in the diocese of Hong Kong, which counts 360 000 faithful, there were 3,500 baptisms at Easter, equivalent to 0.97%. So we need to reflect and do more to promote evangelization."