Bishopric of Suzhou
| Bishopric of Suzhou | |
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Country | People's Republic of China |
| Metropolitan bishopric | Archdiocese of Nanking |
| Diocesan bishop | Joseph Xu Honggen |
| founding | 1949 |
| surface | 8,488 km² |
| Residents | 6,000,000 |
| rite | Roman rite |
| Liturgical language | Standard Chinese |
| cathedral | Cathedral of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows |
The diocese of Suzhou ( lat . : Dioecesis Suceuvensis ) is a Roman Catholic diocese based in Suzhou in the People's Republic of China .
history
Pope Pius XII founded it with the bull Quotidie Nos on April 11, 1946 from territorial cessions of the diocese of Shanghai .
The only official bishop of the diocese, Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei , was appointed Apostolic Administrator of Suzhou after his appointment as Bishop of Shanghai. After seven years of vacancy , Joseph Xu Honggen was ordained bishop on April 20, 2006, apparently with the consent of the Holy See . There is no mention of Joseph Xu Honggen in a Holy See protest note on May 4 that mentioned the ordination of two bishops without the consent of Rome .
Bishops of Suzhou
- Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei (June 9, 1949 - July 15, 1950, then Bishop of Shanghai )
- Shen Chuming (1956-1968)
- Matthias Ma Longlin (1981–1999)
- Sedis vacancy (1999 - 2006)
- Joseph Xu Honggen (since April 20, 2006 with recognition by the Holy See )