China's Catholic church announced the opening of the country's largest seminary in Beijing on Sep.28.

    "Under the joint leadership of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference, the National Seminary of the Catholic Church in China aims to train priests with a sound Catholic theology to commit themselves wholly to the Holy Catholic Church and dedicate themselves to their ministry," said Liu Bainian, vice president of the association.

    The government has provided 73.71 million yuan (9.2 million U.S. dollars) to help with the construction of the seminary.

    "The seminary is the heart of Chinese Catholic church, the top advisory body in theological affairs of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and the Chinese Catholic Bishops Conference, and the base for the construction of China's theological thought," said Liu.

    Twenty-four foreign and Chinese professors will work at the seminary, which is located in Daxing District to the south of Beijing and covers a land area of 4.8 hectares.

    The newly-built compound, with a floor space of over 20,000 square meters, is composed of 10 buildings, including a teaching building, a lecture hall, a library, a small church, and dormitory houses. It boasts the most modernized and best Catholic seminary in Asia.

    According to official records, the National Seminary of Catholic Church in China was first opened in 1983, with its venue changed several times. So far, it has recruited a total of 419 students, in 10 classes. Over 240 of these students have become Catholic priests.

    Meanwhile, five regional seminaries of the Chinese Catholic Church have been opened in Shenyang, Shanghai, Wuhan, Xi'an and Chengdu cities, respectively.