"Everyday morning at mass, we pray to the same Pope," said Michael Tieshan Fu, chairman of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, in an interview with Chinese and foreign journalists.

Fu, who was ordained bishop of the Catholic diocese of Beijing in 1979, advocated the Chinese government's policy to protect religions, stressing that under the Constitution, the legal rights and interests of religions are protected by law in China.

Since China launched its reform and opening drive in the late 1970s, the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association has trained almost 1,000 young priests.

In recent years, more than 50,000 people have converted to Catholicism every year, Fu said. Currently, there are 5 million Catholics, 5,000 Catholic churches, 110 dioceses and 12 religious schools in China, he said.

Answering a journalist's question about the so-called "underground churches" in China, Fu said it is unnecessary for any "underground" religious activity in China, since Chinese Catholic churches are open to all.

But he admitted that with the support of groups and individuals from overseas, a handful of Catholic believers hold different views with the majority of Chinese Catholics. "We take care of these people with the love of Christ," he said.

Pointing to his assistant Zhang Tianlu, the bishop said the man's parents used to work for a so-called "underground church".

Zhang told Xinhua that he could received only limited education about Catholicism from the "underground church", which even indoctrinated anti-government thinking to its believers.

After he got rid of the "underground church" and joined Fu's church, Zhang was sent to study in Britain. "I've learned a lot from the real church," he said.

"It was so fortunate for me to meet Pope John-Paul II," he added.

Fu said his association has not set up any ties with the Roman Catholic Church as Vatican City keeps diplomatic relations with Taiwan. "This has greatly hurt the Chinese on the mainland," he noted.

Up to now, the links between Chinese Catholics and Vatican are personal, Fu said.

(People's Daily)