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 BEIJING (AP) - As Chinese Catholics mourned the death of Pope John Paul II, the country's state-sanctioned church expressed hope Monday that his successor would try to end a half-century-old break between Beijing and Rome.
At the Chinese capital's Southern Cathedral, some 300 worshippers took part in a memorial Mass led by the group that has run official Roman Catholic churches since communist leaders ordered Catholics to break ties with the Vatican in 1951.
"We hope the new pope can pick up the late pope's will to promote China-Vatican relations and realize a China visit," said the Rev. Ma Yinglin, general secretary of the China Patriotic Catholic Association, who conducted the service.
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