Amen marks end to Asia tour

By Cui Xiaohuo and Xie Yu (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-23 07:32

Hillary Clinton took time out toward the end of her exhausting tour of Asia yesterday to join Chinese Christians in hearing a sermon on bridging cultural borders at a Beijing church.

The US Secretary of State attended a service at about 9 am in Haidian Christian Church, which was closed to media.

Clinton was introduced in Chinese as a "foreign guest" by pastor Wu Weiqing to the 800 attendees as she and her entourage took their place in the packed main hall.

The opening hymn was then sung by the choir while the church bell rang out from the tall, white building at the heart of the city's high technology and university hub.

Wu, chief priest of the church, delivered a sermon he had tailored for Clinton's visit, highlighted the wisdom in bridging diverse cultures and how everyone can make a contribution toward a harmonious world.

He stressed his theme by recalling a Biblical story about an Arab and a Jew who bathed together in the River Jordan despite their cultural differences.

"We should know the world belongs to the Lord. We are just managing it for the Lord as His servants we should together create a harmonious world with love and gratitude, regardless of race, creed and color," Wu said.

Clinton, who wore translation earphones, nodded several times during the sermon, especially when he talked about "loving others as you love yourself" and "gratitude for the Lord", and received the priest's blessings with other worshippers.

Following the 50-minute service, Wu chatted with Clinton in English as the two walked down the white church stairs to her motorcade at around 10:15 pm.

Wu declined to reveal the details of their conversation when contacted by China Daily yesterday.

"This has been very special for us. I noticed she nodded and even made eye contact with preacher Wu several times during his comments," said Fan Guoxing, a preacher who helped organize the service.

Ma Jie, a 22-year-old Christian student who sat meters away from Clinton, said: "I feel she is a pious Christian as she squeezed time in her tight schedule to pay respect to the Lord. And it dawned on me that what the preacher said about humanity being about diverse cultures is actually very much related to the world we live in today."

She also added that Clinton "looked pretty and energetic, just like on television".

(China Daily 02/23/2009 page3)