Source: Asia Times:
By Francesco Sisci
BEIJING – The names of popes are policy statements on the governance of the Roman Catholic Church, and it is no coincidence that the new pontiff has chosen to call himself Francis, the name of saint of Assisi in the 12th century, but also like the great Jesuit Francis Xavier, who went on missions in Asia and China in the 16th century. It was Francis Xavier who sent to China the famous missionary Matteo Ricci, the one man who almost managed to convert China, if his efforts were not rebuked by Rome.
Categories: Asia, Catholic Church, China