Shanghai bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian
There’s a lot of talk in the Shanghai Catholic Church about recently deceased bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian (金鲁贤). It’s kind of a shame, because he seems like a really interesting man, but I didn’t really hear much about him while he was still alive. Probably mostly my fault, but nothing to do now but educate myself.
From the description of his recently published The Memoirs of Jin Luxian, Volume 1: Learning and Relearning 1916-1982:
> Jin Luxian is considered by many to be one of China’s most controversial religious figures. Educated by the Jesuits, he joined the Society of Jesus and was ordained priest in 1945 before continuing his studies in Europe. In 1951 he made the dangerous decision to return to the newly established People’s Republic of China. He became one of the many thousands of Roman Catholics who suffered persecution. Convicted of counter-revolutionary activities and treason, he was imprisoned for 27 years and only released in 1982. His subsequent decision to accept the government’s invitation to resume his prior role as head of the Shanghai Seminary and then assume the title of Bishop of Shanghai without Vatican approval shocked many Catholics.
From Wikipedia:
> Bishop Jin was ordained bishop without Vatican approval in 1985, but this was later granted by the Vatican in 2004.
The book is very new, and there are no reviews for the book on Amazon yet. Anyone read it? (It’s nowhere to be found in Amazon.cn, which I suppose is a good sign?)
Oh, and here’s a little taste of the political drama that is Catholicism in China (via the LA Times):
> Jin’s first anointed successor as acting bishop, Joseph Xing Wenzhi, resigned last year for reasons still unclear, and his replacement, Thaddeus Ma Daqin, was placed under house arrest at Shanghai’s Sheshan Seminary after enraging party officials by renouncing his membership in the party-controlled Catholic association.
Further reading:
– Keeping Faith by Adam Minter on The Atlantic (2007)
– Jesuit Bishop Jin of Shanghai, Who Worked to Rebuild Church, Dies at 96 on Jesuit.org
– China: Secretary of State note on death of Bishop Jin Luxian on Vatican Radio
He was an extraordinary man, and the first volume of the memoirs attest to many of the reasons why. They’re also a really fascinating look into a Catholic Shanghai that barely exists in memory, anymore. Well worth buying. I think, in time, he will be seen as one of the most important figures in the long history of Catholicism in China.
Thanks for weighing in, Adam. Loved your article, by the way. Really a good read.
Oh, and I’ve already ordered a copy of the book.