"May Lord bless all women in the world, grant them wisdom, happiness, health and family harmony," Lu Xinping, vice director of the Jiangsu Provincial Patriotic Catholic Association, said in his Mass on Sunday morning.
Lu, together with seven other at the Mass, were here attending the ongoing annual sessions of the country's top advisory and legislative bodies
Praying was one unchanged agenda for these advisors of Catholics in their spare time at the "two sessions", explained Lu.
"We have changed the praying words a bit because today is the International Women's Day," said Lu, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, a political advisory body.
He said that the meetings of the "two sessions" don't affect their Masses, explaining that group meeting of the "two sessions" usually starts at 9 a.m., and they conduct mass at 7 a.m..
"We read the Bible, and do meditation every day," said Lu.
Advisor Fu Xianwei, Chairman of the Three-self Patriotic Movement Committee of the Protestant Churches of China,already planned to attend the Mass in a church in Haidian District on Sunday evening.
The moment of stepping into the hotel room, Ma Guoyu, a political advisor, was attracted by a blue blanket, and a Beijing Muslim Mass timetable on the bed.
"I was deeply moved by such a human-touch detail," said Ma, member of the Chinese Islamic Association, explaining that the blanket was for conducting worship practice.
"I have noticed that working staff of the 'two sessions' take good care of participants from religious groups," said Bekri Mamut, a member of the country's Islamic Association, adding that his hotel rooms were equipped with worship practice-related articles as bath water bottle, and he conducted worships five times a day.
"Apart from deliberating proposals, I sit in meditation and pray for Buddha every day," said Pufa, vice director of the Fujian Buddhist Association.
He said he was also satisfied with the vegetarian diet.
"The annual 'two sessions' have provided important opportunities for all religious groups to communicate and raise their proposals on the country's development, and the future of their own group," said Jin Wei, acting general secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association of China National.
China, a county with five major religions including Catholics, Protestant, Buddhism, Islam and Taoism, has more than 100 million believers of various religions.
(Xinhua News Agency March 8, 2009)