BEIJING, Dec 28, 01 (FIDES/CWNews.com) - Bishop Matthew Pei Shangde, the leader of the unofficial or "underground" Catholic Church in Beijing, died on Christmas Eve, while under house arrest.
Bishop Pei, who had been placed under house arrest in April despite his serious illness, died of kidney failure in Shengxing hospital in the Hebei province. He was 83 years old.
Born in 1918 and ordained to the priesthood in 1948, Bishop Pei spent 10 years in labor camps after the Cultural Revolution. He was released in 1980, and secretly consecrated as a bishop in 1989.
The Vatican's official Annuario Pontificio lists no bishop for the Peking diocese. While the Chinese government recognizes Bishop Fu Tieshan as head of the diocese, loyal Catholics have long looked to Bishop Pei as their leader. That tension will be evident at the January 2 funeral for the beloved bishop; his followers plan a large ceremony, but government officials are demanding a quiet service.
The depth of Bishop Pei's loyalty to the Holy See was evident most recently in his response to the appeal made by Pope John Paul II on October 24 for negotiations between the Vatican and China. "When I heard the news, I had a deep desire to kneel in front of him and thank him for the profound paternal love that he sent to us," the Chinese bishop said. "The Holy Father has united us. Only he has the strength, the courage, the ability to vivify the spirit of Christianity, which is love and truth."
Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
28. desember 2001