Shen Jiawei now lives in Australia. He fled his homeland before the Tiananmen Square massacre on 4 June 1989, but during the Cultural Revolution launched by the Great Helmsman, he was a member of a team that devastated a Catholic church. "I thought about that woman [in tears] today," he said, remembering his team as it vandalised the building. The portrait is a gift to the pope from the Australian government to mark 40 years of diplomatic relations with the Holy See.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - A former Chinese Communist Red Guard, Jiawei Shen, is the author of the first official portrait of Pope Francis, which depicts him among various people (see below). After seeing the portrait, the Holy Father was struck by it, warmly approving it.

Born in Shanghai, Jiawei has lived in Australia since he fled China before the Tiananmen Square massacre on 4 June 1989.

After he met the pope, he said he remembered a Catholic worshiper in tears as his team of red guards vandalised her church. "I thought about that woman [in the church]," Jiawei Shen said. "I don't have any real religion, but I believe in the power of love and forgiveness."

The pope's portrait comes from a chance afternoon tea meeting last year between Hazelhurst Gallery chairman Byron Hurst and John McCarthy, the Australian ambassador to the Holy See.

The occasion to be celebrated was the 40^th anniversary of the Australian diplomatic mission to the Vatican.

Told about the project, Pope Francis gave his permission for the portrait on his flight back from World Youth Day in Brazil last year.

Last week during a break in the G8 meeting, Cardinal Pell escorted the Holy Father to meet the artist and an Australian government delegation.

The G8 or Group of Eight is a panel of eight cardinals tasked with assisting the Pope in reforming the Church's Bonus Pastor apostolic constitution.

"The Pope greeted the delegation warmly and then was struck by the painting," Mr Hurst said.

"He did a slight double take, followed by a very close inspection only centimetres away, which was followed by warm papal approval."

"Asked for his blessing of the painting, the Pope agreed but asked all present - and Australians generally - to pray for him too."

The Cultural Revolution was launched in 1967 by Chairman Mao Zedong and became one of the darkest pages in the history of China. For ten years, until Mao's death, gangs of young people were encouraged to wipe out all of the country's past cultural, religious and social aspects vestiges.

Religions paid the highest price: Catholic bishops and priests, Protestant clergymen, and Buddhist monks and lamas were killed, imprisoned, or sent to labour camps. Places of worship were destroyed or converted into warehouses or factories. Schools, teachers and even right-wing Communist leaders were purged.

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