The Conference on "Matteo Ricci and Nanchang: Inculturation of the Church in China" will be held in Nanjing, Jiangxi, from March 28 to 29, 2017. It will be co-initiated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nanchang, Hebei Faith Society of Cultural Studies, Globalization and Religious Studies of Fudan University and the Xu-Ricci Dialogue Institute at Fudan University, School of Philosophy.
The sponsors explained that Nanjing had close relations with foreign missionaries, who came to China during the late Ming Dynasty.
In 1585, Michael Ruggieri (1543-1607), from the Society of Jesus, arrived in Nanjing and went to preach the gospel in Zhejiang by way of the Town of Jingde, northeastern Jiangxi province. One decade later, Matteo Ricci, S. J., (1552-1610), who intended to go to Nanjing by way of Jiangxi Province, had to stay in Nanchang due to various obstacles. The Jesuit purchased local houses and evangelized the locals, also made friends with others. Meanwhile, his works including The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven, On Friendship and A Treatise on Mnemonics were published.
The subsequent missionaries followed his mission route, evangelizing around the center of Nanchang. As a result, the gospel was widely spread by the Catholic Church.
It is said that the symposium will be discussing the following topics: foreign missionaries like Matteo Ricci and Nanchang, Jiangxi; the exploration and application of the localization of etiquettes (included the issues of ancestral worship, honoring Confucius and traditional sacrifices); the exploration and application of the localization of sacred music; pastoral care, evangelization and localization; the localization and sinicization of the church.
Translated by Karen Luo
