Front row, from left: Bro. Luke Hsu, OSB (Wimmer Priory, Taiwan); Bro. Hilario Lee, OSB (Waegwan Abbey, Korea; representative of Abbot Blasio Park, OSB); Abbot Primate Gregory Polan, OSB; Bro. Matteo Nicolini-Zani (Monastic Community of Bose); Dr. Hailong Du (Translator, in residence at St. Ottilien Archabbey, Germany)
Second row, from left: Bro. Nicholas Koss, OSB (Wimmer Priory, Taiwan); Fr. Anthony Wesolowski, OSB (Wimmer Priory, Taiwan); Abbot Jeremias Schröder, OSB (President of the Congregation of St. Ottilien, Germany); Bro. Markus Weiss, OSB (Assistant bursar, St. Ottilien Archabbey, Germany); Fr. Bernhard Eckerstorfer, OSB (Rector, Pontifical University of Sant’Anselmo); Fr. László Simon, OSB (Professor, Pontifical University of Sant’Anselmo)
The Benedictine Commission on China (BCC) brings together representatives from Benedictine monasteries throughout the world to exchange information about the work of their communities related to China and to discuss cooperation on projects for China. The meeting is held each year at Sant’Anselmo on the first Saturday after Ash Wednesday; this year the meeting was held 29 February 2020.
The Abbot Primate, Abbot Gregory Polan, O.S.B., is the head of the BCC. The monasteries of monks especially active related to China include St. Ottilien Archabbey (Germany), St. Vincent Archabbey (Latrobe, PA, USA), Waegwan Abbey (Korea), St. John’s Abbey (Collegeville MN, USA), Camaldoli Monastery (Italy), St. Procopius Abbey (Lisle, IL, USA) and St. Bede Abbey (Peru, IL, USA).
Benedictine Sisters involved with China are the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Tutzing, the Olivetan Benedictines (Busan, Korea) and St. Benedict’s Monastery (St. Joseph’s, MN, USA). Representatives from Alliance for International Monasticism (AIM) and from the Generalate of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (OCSO) usually also participate in the meeting.
Each meeting also has a specially-invited guest speaker. This year the guest speaker was a professor teaching at a Chinese university. Among the topics discussed in the BCC meeting this year were cooperation between the Pontifical University of Sant’Anselmo and a seminary in China, the established of a Chinese distance-learning course in theology, the translation of Benedictine texts into Chinese, and the consequences of the coronavirus for the Church in China.