Xie Shiguang

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Jakob Xie Shiguang ( Chinese  謝士光 , Pinyin Xiè Shìguāng ; * May 7, 1917 in Baoding ; † August 25, 2005 ) was the Catholic Bishop of Mindong in China . He spent 28 years in Chinese prisons for his belief.

Life

Jakob Xie Shiguang was ordained a priest in 1949 . As Bishop of Mindong in Fujian Province, he was a representative of the so-called underground Catholic Church in China . In China the Catholic Church is regulated by the state; recognition of the Roman Catholic Church under papal authority is prohibited. In 1951, by order of the state, relations with the Vatican were broken off.

Bishop Jacob Xie Shiguang was first imprisoned in 1955 and sentenced to one year in prison. The reason was his refusal to join the state church and his obedience and loyalty to the Roman Pope. In freedom he continued to work as a priest and bishop and was arrested again in 1958 and imprisoned until 1980. He was ordained bishop on January 25, 1984 by Li Xinzheng . The Chinese state harassment continued with arrests from 1984 to 1987 and 1990 to 1992. After his release in 1992 until his death, Bishop Xie Shiguang was under constant police surveillance. In 1999, 13 churches in his diocese were destroyed in order to limit the spread of the Catholic Church and especially Bishop Xie Shiguang. The diocese of Monsignor Xie grew to around 75,000 members in 2005.

Bishop Jakob Xie Shiguang died of leukemia at the age of 88 , just two weeks after the death of Thomas Zhao Fengwu (85), Archbishop of the Diocese of Yanzhou in eastern China, who was also loyal to Rome . Ten thousand worshipers were present at his funeral on August 27, 2005, even though Chinese state law enforcement officials tried to prevent public participation in the funeral ceremony. In addition, reporting on the Internet had been made a criminal offense.

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personal data
SURNAME Xie Shiguang
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Xie Shiguang, Jacob
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chinese Roman Catholic Bishop of Mingdong
DATE OF BIRTH May 7, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Baoding
DATE OF DEATH August 25, 2005