The head of the country's Catholic church, Fu Tieshan, was an
"outstanding patriotic religious leader", a senior Chinese
religious affairs official said.
In an article published yesterday, State Administration of
Religious Affairs director Ye Xiaowen says he was shocked when he
heard about Fu's death on Friday, even though he was prepared for
the news because the 76-year-old bishop had been suffering from a
chronic illness.?
Fu was the chairman of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic
Association, acting chairman of the Bishops Conference of the
Catholic Church of China and bishop of the Beijing Catholic
Diocese. He was also a vice-chairman of the National People's
Congress Standing Committee.
In a statement, the Communist Party of China (CPC) described him
as a distinguished patriotic religious leader, a well-known social
activist and a close friend of the Party.
"Fu's health had been bad since last year," Ye wrote. He used to
visit Fu almost every week, mostly in hospital, to seek advice on
religious affairs administration and the development of the
Catholic church.
Recalling Fu's devotion to his cause even during his last days,
Ye wrote: "Bishop Fu gave his life for the motherland and for his
beloved religion. He carried out his religious mission with
selfless passion for the country, for the people and for the
church."
Fu was born in Qingyuan County in north China's Hebei Province
in November 1931, and studied philosophy and theology in Beijing's
monasteries. He became the first ordained and consecrated bishop
after China began its reforms.
(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2007)