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January 2019 |
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| January 1 |
Tangshan Diocese, Hebei, started the celebration of its 120th anniversary foundation by launching the“Year of the Family”, with several pastoral initiatives.
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January 2 |
Bp. Tan Yanquan (譚燕全) of Nanning, Guangxi, was reported to have recently signed a contract to sell the church in 2 Kangle St., in Nanning city, to a company for commercial use. He was alleged of being engaged in commercial dealings through his membership in several trade companies.
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January 3 |
Death of Bishop Michael Yeung Ming Cheung
(楊鳴章1945-2019) of Hong Kong. Born in Shanghai
on December 1, 1945 into a Catholic family, arrived in
Hong Kong when he was four years old. He was ordained
a priest on 10 June 1978. Since 2003 he had been head of
Caritas-Hong Kong and vicar general since 2009. As the
Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong since 2014, he was made
the bishop (ordinary) of the same diocese by Pope Francis
in August 2017, to succeed Cardinal John Tong.
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January 15-18 |
A delegation of the Holy See's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and representatives of the doctrinal commission of FABC (Federation of Asian Bishops’Conferences) held a meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, on witnessing to the Gospel in the continent. Bp. Joseph Guo Jincai of Chengde (郭金才) and Fr. Zhang Qiulin of Anyang (張秋林) were the Mainland Chinese delegates. Bp. Guo was recently legitimized by the Holy See. |
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January 22 |
Official ceremony was held in Jiexi, Shantou Diocese for the requested retirement of the originally (unofficial) Bishop Zhuang Jianjian (莊建堅) becoming“bishop emeritus”at the event. It was followed by a Mass presided by Bp. Huang Bingzhang (黃炳章), recently legitimized by the Holy See. He succeeded Bishop 2019 Statistics and Major Events of the Catholic Church in China Vol.40, No.196 (2020) 208 Zhuang as “bishop ordinary”. Other Guangdong bishops concelebrated, but Bp. Zhuang did not take part in the Mass. |
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January 30 |
Official installation of Bp. Peter Jin Lugang(靳祿崗), as coadjutor bishop of Nanyang, Henan, during a celebration strictly controlled by the police. The Chinese government recognizes 98-year-old Bishop Zhu Baoyu(朱寶玉) as the bishop ordinary, who is a bishop emeritus according to the Holy See. |
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February 2019 |
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February 3 |
L'Osservatore Romano published an article on the steps taken by the Holy See towards the Chinese Church after the Sino-Vatican Provisional Agreement signed last September. It says that the dialogue continues to face further“problems still existing, starting with the civil recognition of the unofficial clergy.”It also published an interview with Cardinal Fernando Filoni, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. He emphasized two points: the underground status will fade away, but not the people involved; and that membership in the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) is not mandatory, against the present policy of forcing underground clergy to register through the CCPA under the pretext that“the Pope wants it.”
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February 9 |
In Baoding, a dozen priests had a meeting
with Bp. Francis An Shuxin (安樹新) to discuss the
future development of the Diocese, after the Sino-Vatican
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Provisional Agreement. They all agreed that the Church
needs union around the Bishop, but they asked the
Bishop to declare the CCPA illegitimate as a condition
for concelebration, and agreed to let the unofficial section
continue for pastoral reasons. Bishop Su Zhimin of
Baoding is missing.
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February 27 |
Faith Press announced that the estimated
total number of baptisms in the official Church in 2018
was 48,365. |
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March 2019 |
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| March 4-14 |
During the 2nd session of the 13th CPPCC
National Assembly, held in Beijing (March 3-13), Sing
Tao Daily of Hong Kong published an interview with
two Chinese bishops, recently legitimized by the Holy
See. According to the Hong Kong newspaper, Bp. Zhan
Silu (詹思祿) of Mindong, Fujian, has emphasized that
“it is wrong ”for the faithful of the unofficial Church not
to join the official Patriotic Association. Bp. Lei Shiyin
(雷世銀) of Leshan, Sichuan, showed great optimism
about the implementation of the Sino-Vatican Provisional
Agreement during the year, and denied that the restriction
against the domestic churches will influence the policy of
religious freedom. |
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March 5-15 |
During the 2nd session of the 13th National
People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People
in Beijing, about religion, PRC Premier Li Keqiang (李克
強) underlined the need for fully implementing the Party’s
2019 Statistics and Major Events of the Catholic Church in China
Vol.40, No.196 (2020)
210
fundamental policy on religious affairs, abiding by the
principle of Sinicization of religion, guiding religious
affairs in accordance with the law, and to take an active
part in promoting economic and social development. |
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March 21-24 |
During the visit to Italy of PRC President
Xi Jinping (習近平), there was no meeting with Pope
Francis in the Vatican.
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March 29 |
The (unofficial) coadjutor bishop of Xuanhua,
Hebei, Augustine Cui Tai (崔泰), was taken away by
police. Bishop Cui has been regularly detained by the
provincial government. When he was released in January,
he issued a letter “declaring” publicly his episcopal
identity. The official reason for his arrest or the length of
his detention are unknown. But, according to some
sources, it was due to his conflict with Fr. Zhang Li
(張利) who had been disciplined by the bishop because
he promoted an extremist charismatic movement, and
who accused the bishop of not following the Vatican's
directives, since he does not register and become official.
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March 26-27 |
The 5th joint meeting of the 9th Chinese
Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) and government approved
Bishops’Conference of Catholic Church in
China (BCCCC) was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. It
discussed and approved the 2019 work plan.
APRIL |
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April 2019 |
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April 3 |
． April 4-10: In the first half of the month, the Fengxiang
Diocese in Shaanxi witnessed some sad events: the
Qianyang county government razed to the ground the only
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parish in the city, that was serving around two thousand
Catholics, all poor peasants. On April 10, about 600
government officials and policemen arrived in front of the
Marian shrine of Mujiaping to destroy it, but about 200
faithful, knowing the official intention, had gathered to
defend the church. The harsh treatment against Fengxiang
Diocese seems due to the fact that local Catholics,
clergy and the bishop are reluctant to join the Patriotic
Association.
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April 18 |
Mindongs’ ordinary and auxiliary bishops, Bps.
Zhan Silu (詹思祿) and Guo Xijin (郭希錦), concelebrated
at the Chrism Mass. Bp. Guo, unofficial, was able to
celebrate with episcopal insignia (miter and pectoral
cross) even though he is not yet recognized as a bishop
by the local authorities. The event happened due to
an intervention of the Vatican itself and of the central
government. |
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April 28 |
The local authorities of Weihui, in the diocese
of Anyang, Henan, destroyed the huge iron crosses that
stood out on the two bell towers of the new church. Since
the launch of the new regulations on religious activities,
Henan has become a sort of pilot-experiment of repression:
several churches have been closed, the catechism is
forbidden for children and teenagers, and Christian graves
are destroyed.
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April 28-October 7 |
The Vatican took part to the
International Horticultural Expo 2019 held in Beijing,
demonstrating the latest example of improving bilateral
exchanges.
2019 Statistics and Major Events of the Catholic Church in China
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May 2019 |
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May 6-7 |
During the night, the demolition of the huge
cross and of the walls the Catholic church of the village
of Shen Liu in the Diocese of Handan, Hebei, began. Local authorities said that
the motive for their decision was because the cross is“too
visible”from the nearby highway and church does not have
all the necessary building permits. The Diocese of Handan
has already been warned that there are at least 24 churches
that“have no building permits”and will therefore be
destroyed.
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May 11 |
The First Catholic Representatives' Conference of Fengxiang Diocese, Shaanxi, near Xi’an was held in Baoji City, according to a joint report by the national CCPA and the BCCCC. At the meeting, the CCPA established its first branch in the city and passed its official constitution. Vatican-approved Bishop Peter Li Huiyuan (李會元), was elected its chairman, and some diocesan priests were named vice chairmen.
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May 12 |
Global Times reported an interview with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State. It is the first time in the history of the newspaper for such a wide-ranging interview with the Vatican Secretary of State. It was considered a sign of positive developments in China-Vatican relations.
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May 14 |
Bishops Li Shan (李山) of Beijing and Huang Bingzhang
(黃炳章) of Shantou, recently legitimized by the Holy See, were
in Milan Sacred Heart Catholic University for attending a
conference at the Confucius Institute of the university.
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May 28-July 17 |
Opening of an exhibition of eight sets of
Chinese cultural relics stored in the Vatican museum in
the Beijing Imperial Palace or Forbidden City. It was the
first time that a Vatican collection has been exhibited in
China. along with some pieces from the Palace Museum. |
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June 2018 |
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June 3 |
Ucanews reported that all the parishes of Fuzhou
Diocese, Fujian, have been required to join the CCPA,
with some of their priests who refused being excluded
from the ministry. Recently the clergy of two dioceses
Fuzhou in Fujian and Fengxiang in Shaanxi, were forced
to join the Patriotic Association. Several sources consider
it the beginning of a national movement that will see all
dioceses eventually drawn into the CCPA's orbit.
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June 8 |
Death of the unofficial Bishop of Tianjin, Stephen
Li Side (李思德1926-2019), at the age of 92 after suffering
a stroke in mid-May and being admitted to a hospital.
Bishop Li was born on October 3, 1926, in Zunhua city
in Hebei province in a traditional Catholic family. He
entered the minor seminary at 13 and joined St. Vincent
Seminary in Beijing in 1949. He was ordained as a priest
in Tianjin Diocese on July 10, 1955. He was ordained as
bishop of Tianjin in 1982. Bishop Li was arrested in 1989
after attending the foundation meeting of the Chinese
underground Bishops’ Conference in November 1989. He
was arrested three times in his life and was imprisoned for
more than 20 years.
His funeral was held by the official priest Fr. Zhu Lige
(朱立戈) , on June 10 organized by Tianjin Catholic
Patriotic Association under strict government control.
Underground Coadjutor Bishop Shi Hongzhen (石鴻
禎) was not allowed to attend it. Unofficial priests were
allowed to organize a requiem Mass at a funeral home.
Bishop Li’s headstone named him only as a pastor.
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June 18 |
In an attempt to protect freedom for himself and
for his priests, (unofficial) Bishop Guo Xijin (郭希錦)
of Mindong Diocese wrote a letter in which he withdrew
his application for government recognition, and sent it to
Fu’an Public Security Office, Religious Affairs Bureau
and Bp. Zhan Silu (詹思祿), recently legitimized by the
Holy See. In the letter, Bp. Guo explains his motivation:
“The government has already decided to persecute priests
who refuse to sign the request for membership in the
CCPA. I am willing to face persecution together with
other priests.”
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June 28 |
The Holy See issued the
Pastoral Guidelines
Concerning the Civil Registration of the Clergy in China.
It deplores the usage of force to compel the underground
clergy to officially register by joining the CCPA.
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June 30 |
Mindong Diocese, in Fujian, celebrated the
dedication of the new cathedral, with an invitation to
about 20 bishops, except (unofficial) Bp. Guo Xijin (郭希
錦). He refused to attend it, since on June 28 he was not
allowed to celebrate the Eucharist with a Congregation of
Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
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July 2019 |
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| July 10 |
Officials of the United Front Work Department
and the Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs in the
city of Xingtai, in Hebei, urged members of the public
to report banned religious activities, by providing two
telephone hotlines. |
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August 2019 |
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August 26 |
Episcopal ordination of Fr. Anthony Yao
Shun (姚順1965-) as Bishop of Jining, Inner Mongolia.
Bishop Yao is a former vicar general of the diocese,
which has about 70,000 faithful, led by 31 priests and
12 nuns; he was elected by church members on April 9.
Although he is the first ordained bishop since the Sino-Vatican Provisional Agreement
signed in 2018, Bp. Yao
was actually secretly approved by the Vatican in 2010.
He was ordained as a diocesan priest in 1991 and taught
at the National Seminary. He studied liturgy at St. John’s
University in Minnesota, USA and returned to the diocese
in 2010.
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August 26 |
Chinese authorities under the pretext of
illegal construction, announced the plan within five days
to demolish the arch portal, the Door to Heaven, of the
shrine of the Seven Sorrows Mount, Dongergou, Taiyuan,
Shanxi. Local Bishop Meng Ningyou (孟寧友) invited
Catholics to increase pilgrimages to the place especially
on September 15, feast of the Our Lady of Sorrows.
Chinese authorities postponed the demolition until after
2019 Statistics and Major Events of the Catholic Church in China
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the national celebration and the arch portal was only
reduced in height during the month of October.
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August 28 |
Episcopal ordination of Fr. Stephen Xu
Hongwei (胥紅偉,1975-) as Coadjutor Bishop of
Hanzhong, Shaanxi, by the laying on of hands of Bp.
Ma Yinglin (馬英林) of Kunming with all the bishops
of Shaanxi province con-celebrating. Bp. Xu studied
in the pre-seminary of Weinan Diocese in 1993, in
Xi’an seminary in 1996 and was ordained as a priest in
Hanzhong in 2002. He graduated with a master’s degree
on pastoral theology in Rome in 2008 and then practiced
pastoral ministry in the Diocese of Vancouver in Canada
until 2010. He was already approved by the Holy See for
a few years. Bp. Ma was recently legitimized by the Holy
See.
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August 28 |
The State Administration for Religious Affairs
now under the United Front Work Department issued
the draft of the Norms for Religious Groups, inviting
comments. By Religious Groups are meant “social nonprofit
organizations, which are freely formed by religious
citizens and carry out activities according to their statutes
in order to unite their fellow religious believers to love the
Nation and the Church, and promote a sound development
of religion.” |
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September 2019 |
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September 10 |
The issuing of the Circular letter of the
country Catholic leaders about raising of the national flag,
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singing the national anthem and praying for the blessing
of the nation in the churches, especially at the Eucharist
on Sunday 22 September. The occasion was the 70th
anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of
China.
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September 14 |
Within the context of the International
Horticultural Expo 2019 (from 28 April to 7 October)
in Beijing, a“Vatican State Day”was organized with
ecological themes.
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September 24 |
A symposium on Inculturation of Catholic
Theology, was held in Sichuan Major Seminary with the
participation of 80 participants coming from all over China
but mainly from all the dioceses in Sichuan Province.
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October 2019 |
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October 31 |
Unofficial Bp. Shao Zhumin (邵祝敏) of
Wenzhou, Zhejiang, was reported to have been once again
detained and submitted to an indoctrination session.
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November 2019 |
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| November 6 |
Chinese authorities urged representatives
of the official five Religions in China to modify the
translations of the reference texts, in order to bring them
into line with the requirements of the official Marxist
ideology of the CCP and of the “new era.”
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November 19-26 |
On the occasion of the
visit of Pope Francis to Thailand and to Japan, groups
of Chinese Catholics flocked to these countries to see
him. 2019 Statistics and Major Events of the Catholic
Church in China Vol.40, No.196 (2020) |
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November 20 |
Officials of China's United Front Work
Department removed a statue of Christ the King from the
steeple of the church of Linjiazhuang in Jinan Diocese,
Shandong, replacing it with a lightning rod. Recently,
Chinese authorities also tore down crosses from churches
in Wuda, Inner Mongolia, and in Zhumadian Diocese,
Henan.
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November 20 |
Death of Bishop Andreas Jin Daoyuan
(靳道遠1929-2019), retired official bishop of Changzhi,
Shanxi. Bishop Jin was born on 13 June 1929, in a
catholic family in Lucheng district of Changzhi City.
After his studies in various seminaries, including North
China Catholic Theological Seminary in Beijing, he was
ordained a priest in July 1956 in Beijing. In August of the
same year, he returned to Changzhi Diocese for pastoral
work. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), he
was arrested. When released from prison after 13 years
in 1979, he returned to Beishe. In the following year, he
led the pastoral work of Nantiangong church in Lucheng
district. He was appointed vicar general of Changzhi
Diocese in 1992 and was ordained bishop on 6 January
2000. In 2008 he was legitimized by the Holy See but
without jurisdiction.
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November 26 |
Pope Francis during the in-flight press
conference returning to Rome from Tokyo, answering
to the question about the situation in Hong Kong, with
the society divided between pro-democracy protesters
and the pro-Beijing government supporters, noted that in
many other countries there are this type of demonstrations
and conflicts, and he concluded with the phrase “I would
like to go to Beijing, I love China.” On November 28,
the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman appreciated Pope
Francis’ “friendliness and good will.”
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December 2019 |
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December 8 |
The Holy See announced the appointment of
Cardinal Louis Antonio Tagle, archbishop of Manila, the
Philippines, as the new Prefect of the Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples, taking the place of Cardinal
Fernando Filoni.
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December 25 |
A kind of a war on Christmas was officially
waged, since it is considered an element of Western
“spiritual pollution” and a “betrayal of Chinese culture.”
It caused a ban on Christmas celebrations, prayer meetings
and decorations. Students were required to sit for exams
on December 24 and 25 to prevent them from attending
Christmas Mass.
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