Peter Zhang Bairen (February 14, 1915 – October 12, 2005) was the unofficial Bishop of Hanyang, China. Chinese authorities did not officially recognize Bishop Peter Zhang; however, he was officially

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

as a

monsignor Monsignor (; ) is a form of address or title for certain members of the clergy in the Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" can be abbreviated as Mons.... or Msgr. In some ...

within the Roman Catholic Church in 1986, by Liu Hede, the unofficial Bishop of

Hankou Hankou, alternately romanized as Hankow (), was one of the three towns (the other two were Wuchang and Hanyang) merged to become modern-day Wuhan city, the capital of the Hubei province, China. It stands north of the Han and Yangtze Rivers w ...

. Monsignor Zhang spent twenty-four years in prison and labor camps following his continued loyalty to the Pope (1955–1979). In an unusual concession, local authorities permitted Zhang's funeral services to be open to the public. The funeral took place in October and was attended by both official and unofficial clergy members.

References

1915 births 2005 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in China {{Asia-RC-bishop-stub