"The history of Catholic mission in China has revealed the fact that the encounter of the Gospel with Chinese culture and people, beginning with the folk customs and the further dialogue with Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. The summit of Church mission is in the period of Ming Dynasty. Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit missionary, is considered the apostle of China. Since then, his missionary approach – the accommodation missionary strategy affirmed by the Second Vatican Council as the model of “Inculturation” – is widely studied not only in China but the entire world. The key to understand Ricci’s missionary method is Ricci himself. It is the initial step to explore his ministry and missionary activities in history, the Ming Dynasty. Pastoral and Evangelizing communication centers on the ministers, precisely, discussing the ways and means of pastoral and evangelizing ministry of the Church ad extra and ad intra. The decisive element to foster a competent communicator requires the communicative disposition, which means to open. Pastoral and Evangelizing communication also highlights to proper use the mass means of social communication to achieve the proclamation of Christ in Chinese context. Time has changed. Today, the Church in China needs to deal with the Sino-Vatican relationship, the divisions inside the Church and the social-economic challenges. The study tries to further investigate Ricci’s Missionary activities and approaches and to analyze it from the perspective of pastoral and evangelizing communication, so as to help pastoral ministers living in the 21st century in China." (Abstract)

Thesis of Cardinal Foley Scholarship Fund (CFSF) beneficiary