Roman Catholic Diocese of Suzhou
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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Suzhou ( la, Dioecesis Suceuvensis, ) is a
diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
located in
Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...
,
Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, under the Ecclesiastical Province of Nanjing. It covers the entire city of Suzhou.


History


Ming Dynasty

The
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
missionary
Matteo Ricci Matteo Ricci, SJ (; la, Mattheus Riccius; 6 October 1552 – 11 May 1610), was an Italians, Italian Society of Jesus, Jesuit Priesthood in the Catholic Church, priest and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China missions. He create ...
introduced Catholicism into Jiangsu in 1599. He stayed in Suzhou in January of that year. In 1616,
Giulio Aleni Giulio Aleni ( la, Julius Alenius; 1582– 10 June 1649), in Chinese , was an Italian Jesuit missionary and scholar. He was born in Leno near Brescia in Italy, at the time part of the Republic of Venice, and died at Yanping in China. He bec ...
founded a church in
Changshu Changshu (; Suzhounese: /d͡ʐan¹³ ʐoʔ²³/) is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, and is part of the Yangtze River Delta. It borders the prefecture-level city of Nantong to the northeast across the Yangt ...
, which is currently a city in the Suzhou Diocese.


Qing Dynasty

In Suzhou city, Italian missionaries established the first Catholic church in 1649. By 1664, there were over 500 Catholics in Suzhou city and over 10,000 Catholics in Changshu. In 1724, the
Yongzheng Emperor , regnal name = , posthumous name = Emperor Jingtian Changyun Jianzhong Biaozhen Wenwu Yingming Kuanren Xinyi Ruisheng Daxiao Zhicheng Xian()Manchu: Temgetulehe hūwangdi () , temple name = Shizong()Manchu: Šidzung () , house = Aisin Gioro ...
proscribed Catholicism in China. His son, the
Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
, continued the practice. In 1814, the
Jiaqing Emperor The Jiaqing Emperor (13 November 1760 – 2 September 1820), also known by his temple name Emperor Renzong of Qing, born Yongyan, was the sixth emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the fifth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, fro ...
further codified the prohibition of general Christianity. The
Daoguang Emperor The Daoguang Emperor (; 16 September 1782 – 26 February 1850), also known by his temple name Emperor Xuanxong of Qing, born Mianning, was the seventh Emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the sixth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning ...
rescinded most anti-Christian edicts in 1844. In 1853, the
Mission sui iuris A mission ''sui iuris'', or in Latin ''missio sui iuris'' (plural ''missions sui iuris''); also spelled mission(s) sui juris), also known as an independent mission, is a rare type of Roman Catholic missionary pseudo-diocesan jurisdiction, rankin ...
of Suzhou was established. It later became a
deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...
under the Jiangnan
Apostolic Prefecture An apostolic prefect or prefect apostolic is a priest who heads what is known as an apostolic prefecture, a 'pre-diocesan' missionary jurisdiction where the Catholic Church is not yet sufficiently developed to have it made a diocese. Although it ...
in 1855.


Republic of China

In 1922, the Deanery of Suzhou was included under the newly established Jiangsu Apostolic Prefecture, which changed its name to Nanjing Apostolic Prefecture in 1926. The Shanghai Apostolic Prefecture, which contained the Suzhou Deanery, was separated from the Nanjing Prefecture in 1933, and became a diocese in 1946. The Suzhou Deanery was elevated into a diocese and separated from the Shanghai Diocese on 9 June 1949.


People's Republic of China

Upon the founding of the PRC, there were about 34 clergy members and 31,350 Catholics in the diocese. During the
Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
, many historical churches of the diocese were damaged. Church activities gradually resumed in the 1980s. In 1992, there were about 8 priests, 18 nuns, and 50,000 Catholics in the diocese.


Yushan Forum

Since 2018, the diocese has been a co-sponsor of the Yushan Forum (), according to the Bureau of Religious and Ethnic Affairs of Suzhou (). The forum's topics of each time are listed below: * October 2018: The
Sinicization Sinicization, sinofication, sinification, or sinonization (from the prefix , 'Chinese, relating to China') is the process by which non-Chinese societies come under the influence of Chinese culture, particularly the language, societal norms, cul ...
of Catholic Literature and
Art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
* January 2022, September 2022: Adherence to the Sinicization of Catholicism


Bishops

The first bishop of Suzhou was
Cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...
Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei (; 2 August 1901 – 12 March 2000) was the Catholic Bishop of Shanghai, China, from 1950 until his death in 2000. He spent 30 years in Chinese prisons for defying attempts by China's Communist government to control ...
(). He was consecrated in 1949. Later he was arrested in 1955 and released in 1985. He left China for the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
in 1988 and died in 2000. Kung was named Cardinal ''
in pectore ''In pectore'' (Latin for "in the breast/heart") is a term used in the Catholic Church for an action, decision, or document which is meant to be kept secret. It is most often used when there is a papal appointment to the College of Cardinals wit ...
'' by
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
in 1979. His membership in the
College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals, or more formally the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. its current membership is , of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Cardinals are appoi ...
was made public in 1991, after Kung left China. According to the Chinese Province of the
Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
, the auxiliary bishop
Joseph Fan Zhongliang Joseph Fan Zhongliang S.J. (; 18 December 1918 – 16 March 2014), also known as Josephus Vei Zong Leong, was a Chinese Roman Catholic bishop in the Diocese of Shanghai in China. Life Fan was baptised aged 14. He joined the Jesuits in 1938 and be ...
() would have automatically succeeded as the bishop of Suzhou Diocese after Kung's death. Fan was secretly consecrated in 1985. However, he was not recognized by the Chinese government. He died in 2014.


Catholic Patriotic Association

Ignatius Shen Chuming () became the
vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ...
of Suzhou in 1956. He was elected bishop in 1958 and consecrated in 1959. He was a standing member of the national Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) of China. The year of his death is uncertain: according to
Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in Ka ...
, he died in 1966; according to the Committee of Ethnic and Religious Affairs of Jiangsu (), he died in 1974. Matthias Ma Longlin () was elected and consecrated bishop in 1981. He later became the chair of the CPA of Suzhou. He died in 1999. In 1999, the CPA appointed
Joseph Xu Honggen Joseph Xu Honggen (; born April 1962) is a Chinese Catholic priest and Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Suzhou since 2005. Biography Xu was born in Suzhou, Jiangsu, in April 1962, to a Catholic family. He graduated from Sheshan Seminary. ...
() as the bishop of Suzhou, and he later also received the appointment from the
Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
. In 2006, Xu was officially consecrated Bishop at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, Suzhou. In 2016,
Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
met Bishop Xu in
Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...
, making Xu the first ever mainland Chinese bishop to meet the Pope.


Churches

According to Jiangsu's Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA), an organization affiliated with the Chinese united front, the diocese contains the following churches:


Suzhou Industrial Park

* Suzhou Industrial Park Catholic Church, where the bishop's office is located. It is the tallest Catholic Church building in China, with its main tower standing tall.


Gusu

* Cathedral of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, also known as Yangjiaqiao Catholic Church * Daxin Alley Catholic Church ()


Xiangcheng

* Xiangcheng Catholic Church ()


Wujiang

* Lili Catholic Church () * Shengze Catholic Church ()


Changshu

* Tangjiao Catholic Church ()


Zhangjiagang

* Houcheng Catholic Church () * Yangshe Catholic Church () * Luyuan Catholic Church ()


Kunshan

* Xiaohengtang Catholic Church (): upon its consecration on 2 May 2016, it was the tallest Catholic church in China. It has a tall main spire and a boat-shaped structure. * Lujia Catholic Church ()


Taicang

* Loudong Catholic Church () * Zhangjing Catholic Church ()


See also

* Ecclesiastical Province of Nanjing *
Catholicism in China The Catholic Church in China (called Tiānzhǔ Jiào, 天主敎, literally "Religion of the Lord of Heaven" after the Chinese term for the Christian God) has a long and complicated history. John of Montecorvino was the first Roman Catholic ...


References


Citations


External links


GCatholic.org



UCAN Diocese Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suzhou Roman Catholic dioceses in China Christian organizations established in 1949 Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century Organizations based in Jiangsu Religion in Suzhou 1949 establishments in China