Melchior Shi Hongzhen

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Melchior Shi Hongzhen (born 7 January 1929) is a Chinese Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Tianjin since 2019.[1][2] He had been under house arrest after refusing to join Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.[3][4][5][6] The government recognized him as bishop of Tianjin in 2024.[7]

Biography

Hongzhen was born in Tianjin, China, on 7 January 1929. He was ordained a priest on 4 July 1954. He was consecrated on 15 June 1982 by Bishop Paul Liu Shuhe as Coadjutor Bishop of Tianjin.

After the death of Liu Shuhe on 8 June 2019, Hongzhen succeeded him as Bishop of Tianjin but he was not recognised by the Chinese authorities because he refused to join the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA).[1] He was then placed under house arrest by the Chinese government.[8][3] He was recognized by the government as bishop in 2024.[7]

References

  1. 1.[1.2]"Bishop of Tianjin Diocese Melchior Hongzhen Shi | UCA News". www.ucanews.com. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  2. 2."Diocese of Tianjin 天津, China 🇨🇳". GCatholic. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  3. 3.[3.2]Gong, Wang (2019-07-10). "Tianjin Diocese Bishop Forced to Join Patriotic Church". Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  4. 4.CNA. "The diplomatic principles behind the Vatican's agreement with China". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  5. 5."Pope Francis extends a hand to China". RVA. 2022-09-21. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  6. 6."Looking for Good Catholic Bishops? Try a Chinese Prison | International Catholic Jurists Forum". Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  7. 7.[7.2]"Holy See Press Office Communiqué". Holy See Press Office (Press release). 27 August 2024. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  8. 8.AsiaNews.it. "Renewing the Sino-Vatican Agreement and the case of Tianjin". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 2024-04-18.