Zong Huaide (; 12 May 191727 June 1997) was a Chinese

Roman Catholic Bishop In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy orders in the Catholic Church, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teachin ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. In the final years of his life, he achieved high offices in the church and CCP-supported Catholic organizations. He was a member of the 5th and 6th National Committee of the

Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United front (China), united front system. Its members adv ...

and a member of the 7th and 8th Standing Committee of the

Biography

Zong was born in Huantai County,

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

, on May 12, 1917, to a Catholic family. He had six young brothers and sisters. After graduating from the Yaohan Theology and Philosophy () in

Jinan Jinan is the capital of the province of Shandong in East China. With a population of 9.2 million, it is one of the largest cities in Shandong in terms of population. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of ...

, he was consecrated as

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

in Zhoucun District of Zibo City. During the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

, he propagated Counter-Japanese and National Salvation throughout Shandong province. In 1948 he was accepted to the

Fu Jen Catholic University Fu Jen Catholic University (FJU, FJCU or Fu Jen; or ) is a private education, private Catholic university in Xinzhuang District, Xinzhuang, New Taipei City, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1925 in Beijing at the request of Pope Pius XI and ...

. Zong was ordained bishop in 1958. On August 24, 1966, at the beginning of the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

, the

Red Guards The Red Guards () were a mass, student-led, paramilitary social movement mobilized by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 until their abolition in 1968, during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution, which he had instituted.Teiwes According to a ...

had attacked the Catholic Church, volumes of scriptures, historical documents, and other works of art were either removed, damaged or destroyed in the massive socialist movement. Zong was forced to take part in reeducation through labour. In June 1970, after the

Sino-Soviet border conflict The Sino-Soviet border conflict, also known as the Sino-Soviet crisis, was a seven-month undeclared military conflict between the Soviet Union and China in 1969, following the Sino-Soviet split. The most serious border clash, which brought th ...

, he was sent to home to raise hogs or pigs. On October 1, 1978, Zong was transferred to Jinan as a member of the Shandong Provincial Committee of the

. In 1980 he was elected president of the

Catholic Patriotic Association The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) is the national organization for Catholicism in the People's Republic of China. It was established in 1957 after a group of Chinese Catholics met in Beijing with officials from the Chinese Commun ...

, deputy director of the National Administrative Commission of the Chinese Catholic Church and vice-president of the Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church in China (BCCCC). Before his death, Zong wrote to the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

to repent and was forgiven by the Pope. On June 27, 1997, he died in Beijing, aged 80. He was buried in Zhangjiadian Catholic Church, Zibo, Shandong.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zong, Joseph, Huaide 1917 births 1997 deaths Politicians from Zibo 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in China People's Republic of China politicians from Shandong Catholic University of Peking alumni Bishops of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association