Comrade Bishop

The head of the Catholic Patriotic Church in China and bishop of the Beijing diocese, Fu Tieshan, died in Beijing on Friday evening, aged 75. He was also a vice chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) and thereby considered to be a state leader of China. His remains will be cremated next Friday at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery. Bishop Fu passed away after a long battle with cancer. (Catholic News Service: Beijing Bishop Michael Fu Tieshan, 75, dies)

He made his last public appearance during a preparatory meeting for the annual NPC session on March 4, but did not attend the March 5-16 session itself.

Fu Tieshan became the first “self-elected and self-ordained” bishop in 1979 at the age of 48, following the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976. He was not recognized by the Pope.

The major questions are: how will the Vatican react? Vatican-appointed Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong said he would pray for Fu, but will probably not attend his funeral. Who will be Fu's successor, not only at the head of the Beijing diocese and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association but also as a vice chairman of the NPC. Will his successor be recognized by the Vatican? And if so, will he also become a vice chairman of the NPC? Too many questions waiting for an answer. And the major question of all: when will the Vatican and the People's Republic of China reconcile?

Even non-Catholics are interested to find out the answers...

A day before he died, president and party general secretary Hu Jintao visited Fu at Beijing Hospital. This shows he was not only a bishop, but also an honorary comrade. Even without the blessing of the Vatican, he inaugurated a new spring for Catholicism in Beijing. And the party and the government let it be.

“Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God” (Bishop Fu Tieshan, March 2003)