Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong (CDHK) is a Latin Rite ordinary
diocese
of the Catholic Church
headed by Bishop
John Tong Hon
. Though the bishop is subject to the Roman Pontiff
, he is not the vicar
of the latter: he governs it in his own name. The diocese
takes its name from the see city
, the community where the bishop resides. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong is part of the Ecclesiastical province
of Guangzhou. For more information, see Roman Catholicism in Hong Kong
.
There are about 353,000 non-Filipino Catholic
s (as of August 2009) and 130,000 Filipino Catholics in Hong Kong
. They are served by 306 priest
s, 60 brothers and 496 sister
s. There are 51 parish
es, comprising 41 churches, 32 chapel
s and 25 hall
s for religious service. In education, there are 317 Catholic schools and kindergartens which have about 202,000 pupils.
" independent from the Diocese of Macau
, but under the authority of the Bishop of Macao. The initial need for the establishment of the prefecture was the spiritual care of the British (Irish Catholic) soldiers stationed in the newly established colony.
Theodore Joset, a Swiss diocesan priest, became the first Prefect Apostolic.
The prefecture functioned much as a mission, but was intended, from its inception, to become a diocese eventually. In the first ten years, the missionaries built churches, schools, a seminary, and institutions for the sick, elderly, and orphans.
Following Joset's death in 1842, Anthony Feliciani became Prefect Apostolic of Hong Kong and Macao.
The foundation stone of the first church was laid in 1842. It was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception
in 1843, enlarged in 1858-59, burnt down on 18 October 1859, rebuilt and blessed on 18 March 1860. (This church was the predecessor of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Hong Kong
, which was built in 1883 at its present site in Caine Road
.)
In 1858, the first missionaries belonging to the Seminary of Foreign Missions of Milan (now PIME
) arrived; they were designated to take over the administration of the mission in time.
By 1860, the physical territory had spread well beyond the initial six leagues surrounding Hong Kong to include the San On District, the Kowloon Peninsula, Sai Kung Peninsula, and Nam Tau.
The first Vicar Apostolic was Giovanni Timoleon Raimondi
, titular Bishop of Acanthus (consecrated 22 November 1874), who died at Mission House, Glenealy, Hong Kong, 27 September 1894. He was succeeded by Monsignor Louis Piazzoli
(born 1849), titular Bishop of Clazomenæ, and Dominic Pozzoni
(born 1851), titular Bishop of Tavia, elected 26 May 1905.
In 1880, the vicariate hosted the first synod
of the fifth ecclesiastical region of the Catholic Church in China; it hosted a second synod in 1891, and a third in 1909.
In 1883, the foundation stone of a new cathedral was laid. This is the present Immaculate Conception Cathedral
. It was inaugurated in 1888.
The vicariate continued to grow. In 1913, it included 12 European and 10 native priests and 14,195 Christians; there were 26 churches, 5 of them with resident priests; 40 schools for boys and 29 schools for girls; 12 Brothers of the Christian Schools; 35 Sisters of Canossa; 22 Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres; and 54 native Sisters.
Besides the island of Hong Kong, the vicariate included the island of Lautau and adjacent islands and the three continental districts of Sa-non, Kwei-shing, and Haï-fung. The churches with resident priests were the cathedral (Glenealy), St. Joseph's (Garden Road), St. Francis (Wanchai), Church of the Sacred Heart (West Point), Church of St. Anthony (West Point). The Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris had a procurator, a sanitorium and a printing office at Hong Kong; there was also a Dominican procurator.
More missionaries arrived from many orders throughout the 1920s and 1930s, building more churches, schools, and hospitals.
During World War II, the Japanese occupation stopped almost all activities. Missionaries evacuated, and were variously interned, released, and expelled. After the war, reconstruction began immediately.
established the episcopal hierarchy in China, raising all the apostolic vicariate
s to dioceses, Hong Kong among them, through an Apostolic Constitution in Latin sent to each Vicar Apostolic together with a letter from the Apostolic Internuncio, Anthony Riberi, in the summer of 1946. Since then, the Hong Kong Diocese is directly responsible to the pope. Enrico Valtorta
became the first bishop of Hong Kong.
In 1949, refugees fleeing the Communist regime began to pour into Hong Kong, including many Catholics and clergymen from all over China; diocesan activities were effectively restricted to the boundaries of the Colony. In 1952, the diocese opened seven new chapels for refugees.
In 1969, Bishop Francis Hsu
(徐誠斌主教) became, after the resignation of Lorenzo Bianchi
, the first Chinese bishop in Hong Kong.
On 29 May 1988, John Baptist Wu (胡振中), the 5th bishop, was named a member of the Sacred College of Cardinals
by Pope John Paul II
. He was the first to be named cardinal
from the Hong Kong diocese.
On 18 August 1991, an Open Forum on "Elections 1991", jointly organized by the Council of Priests, the Justice and Peace Commission, the Central Council of Catholic Laity and the Catholic Institute for Religion and Society, was held in the nine constituencies of Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories in order to encourage the faithful to take an active part in the direct elections to the Legislative Council on 15 September. Church organizations also made a similar appeal to the faithful and ordinary citizens through publications, questionnaires and advertisements in newspapers.
On 15 April 1993, the diocese was re-divided into nine deaneries. Council of Priests reorganized with all the deans included as ex officio members.
After the death of Cardinal Wu on 23 September 2002, his coadjutor
Joseph Zen became the 6th bishop of Hong Kong.
On 17 August 2003, eight members of the radical Rainbow Action gay rights group disrupted a Sunday Mass
at the Catholic Cathedral. They were responding to the Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage
s, as set forth by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 3 June 2003, in a document entitled "Considerations regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual Persons". Subsequently, Bishop Zen met with representatives of various gay rights groups to clarify the Church’s stand and reaffirmed that he had no discrimination against homosexual persons as such.
On 8 July 2004, the Legislative Council
passed the Education (Amendment) Bill. Under the New Ordinance, which would be effective on 1 January 2005, every aided school would be required before 2010 to form an incorporated management committee (IMC) whose members should include elected representatives of teachers, parents of students and alumni, as well as other independent persons, with a view to promoting a school-based management. It was the concern of the Church that, as a sponsoring body, she would no longer be empowered in the future to supervise the schools under her sponsorship, nor be able to achieve her goals and objectives in Catholic education. On 5 June 2005, Bishop Zen announced that, if the Legislative Council pass the donation to support schools to create incorporated management committees on 8 July 2005, he would appeal against the decision to the court. After the Government decided to give up some main argued points, the Diocese decided to support the motion.
On 22 February 2006, Pope Benedict XVI announced that Bishop Joseph Zen would be raised to the College of Cardinals. He received his red biretta on 24 March 2006 after a day of reflection on 23 March. He received his cardinalatial ring on 25 March 2006, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.
. His views on government policies were often at odds with those of Hong Kong's Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, also a Catholic.
Ordinary
In those hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system, an ordinary is an officer of the church who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute the church's laws...
diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
of the Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
headed by Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
John Tong Hon
John Tong Hon
John Tong Hon is a bishop of the Catholic Church. In his youth, he spent ten years living in Huadu, Guangzhou before returning to Hong Kong. He earned a master's degree in philosophy from the Chinese University of Hong Kong before going on to doctoral studies at the Pontifical Urbaniana...
. Though the bishop is subject to the Roman Pontiff
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, he is not the vicar
Vicar
In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...
of the latter: he governs it in his own name. The diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
takes its name from the see city
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
, the community where the bishop resides. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong is part of the Ecclesiastical province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
of Guangzhou. For more information, see Roman Catholicism in Hong Kong
Roman Catholicism in Hong Kong
The Catholic Church in Hong Kong , established in 1841, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Curia in Rome. All Catholics in Hong Kong are under the Diocese of Hong Kong - officially under the Ecclesiastical Province of Guangzhou...
.
There are about 353,000 non-Filipino Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
s (as of August 2009) and 130,000 Filipino Catholics in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. They are served by 306 priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s, 60 brothers and 496 sister
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s. There are 51 parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es, comprising 41 churches, 32 chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s and 25 hall
Hall
In architecture, a hall is fundamentally a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age, a mead hall was such a simple building and was the residence of a lord and his retainers...
s for religious service. In education, there are 317 Catholic schools and kindergartens which have about 202,000 pupils.
History
The organization of what would one day become the Diocese of Hong Kong began immediately after the establishment of Hong Kong as a British colony.Prefecture Apostolic
In 1841, Gregory XVI created a Prefecture Apostolic comprising "Hong Kong with the surrounding six leaguesLeague (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
" independent from the Diocese of Macau
Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Macau was established on January 23, 1576 by the edict of Pope Gregory XIII. It originally covered China, Japan, Vietnam and the Malay archipelago, with the exception of the Philippines...
, but under the authority of the Bishop of Macao. The initial need for the establishment of the prefecture was the spiritual care of the British (Irish Catholic) soldiers stationed in the newly established colony.
Theodore Joset, a Swiss diocesan priest, became the first Prefect Apostolic.
The prefecture functioned much as a mission, but was intended, from its inception, to become a diocese eventually. In the first ten years, the missionaries built churches, schools, a seminary, and institutions for the sick, elderly, and orphans.
Following Joset's death in 1842, Anthony Feliciani became Prefect Apostolic of Hong Kong and Macao.
The foundation stone of the first church was laid in 1842. It was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
in 1843, enlarged in 1858-59, burnt down on 18 October 1859, rebuilt and blessed on 18 March 1860. (This church was the predecessor of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Hong Kong
Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. It is the seat of the Diocesan bishop, currently John Tong. The Cathedral is one of the two cathedrals in the territory of Hong Kong, the other being the Anglican...
, which was built in 1883 at its present site in Caine Road
Caine Road
Caine Road is a main road in Hong Kong connecting Bonham Road in the west and Arbuthnot Road and Upper Albert Road in the east ....
.)
In 1858, the first missionaries belonging to the Seminary of Foreign Missions of Milan (now PIME
Pime
The Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions is a society of secular priests and lay people who dedicate their lives to missionary activities in: Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Hong Kong, India, Ivory Coast, Japan, Mexico, Myanmar , Papua New Guinea, Philippines and...
) arrived; they were designated to take over the administration of the mission in time.
By 1860, the physical territory had spread well beyond the initial six leagues surrounding Hong Kong to include the San On District, the Kowloon Peninsula, Sai Kung Peninsula, and Nam Tau.
Vicariate Apostolic
In 1874, the Hong Kong Prefecture was raised to a vicariate Apostolic, and entrusted to the Seminary of Foreign Missions of Milan (now PIME). While the prefecture had been run by missionary priests, a vicariate was the intermediary step before becoming a diocese, and required a bishop to run it. Since the territory was not yet a diocese, the bishops were called "titular bishop" of another place (where they had no ecclesiastical authority). The bishops were under the direct authority of the Pope, exercising their power in his name, rather than being vested with the office belonging to a diocese.The first Vicar Apostolic was Giovanni Timoleon Raimondi
Timoleon Raimondi
Timoleon Raimondi was the Last Prefect and First Vicar Apostolic of Hong Kong .Raimondi was born in Milan, Italy and ordained as a priest in 25 May 1850...
, titular Bishop of Acanthus (consecrated 22 November 1874), who died at Mission House, Glenealy, Hong Kong, 27 September 1894. He was succeeded by Monsignor Louis Piazzoli
Louis Piazzoli
Louis Piazzoli was the Apostolic Vicar of Hong Kong from January 11, 1895 to 1904.Born in Bergamo, Italy, Piazzoli was ordained as a priest on 1 September 1868....
(born 1849), titular Bishop of Clazomenæ, and Dominic Pozzoni
Dominic Pozzoni
Dominic Pozzoni, , was born in Italy. He was ordained a priest on 1 March 1885 and arrived in Hong Kong on 19 December 1885. Pozzoni was appointed Bishop of Tavia and third Apostolic Vicar of Hong Kong on 12 July 1905. He died in Hong Kong.-References:*...
(born 1851), titular Bishop of Tavia, elected 26 May 1905.
In 1880, the vicariate hosted the first synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of the fifth ecclesiastical region of the Catholic Church in China; it hosted a second synod in 1891, and a third in 1909.
In 1883, the foundation stone of a new cathedral was laid. This is the present Immaculate Conception Cathedral
Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. It is the seat of the Diocesan bishop, currently John Tong. The Cathedral is one of the two cathedrals in the territory of Hong Kong, the other being the Anglican...
. It was inaugurated in 1888.
The vicariate continued to grow. In 1913, it included 12 European and 10 native priests and 14,195 Christians; there were 26 churches, 5 of them with resident priests; 40 schools for boys and 29 schools for girls; 12 Brothers of the Christian Schools; 35 Sisters of Canossa; 22 Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres; and 54 native Sisters.
Besides the island of Hong Kong, the vicariate included the island of Lautau and adjacent islands and the three continental districts of Sa-non, Kwei-shing, and Haï-fung. The churches with resident priests were the cathedral (Glenealy), St. Joseph's (Garden Road), St. Francis (Wanchai), Church of the Sacred Heart (West Point), Church of St. Anthony (West Point). The Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris had a procurator, a sanitorium and a printing office at Hong Kong; there was also a Dominican procurator.
More missionaries arrived from many orders throughout the 1920s and 1930s, building more churches, schools, and hospitals.
During World War II, the Japanese occupation stopped almost all activities. Missionaries evacuated, and were variously interned, released, and expelled. After the war, reconstruction began immediately.
Diocese
On 11 April 1946, Pope Pius XIIPope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
established the episcopal hierarchy in China, raising all the apostolic vicariate
Apostolic vicariate
An apostolic vicariate is a form of territorial jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church established in missionary regions and countries that do not have a diocese. It is essentially provisional, though it may last for a century or more...
s to dioceses, Hong Kong among them, through an Apostolic Constitution in Latin sent to each Vicar Apostolic together with a letter from the Apostolic Internuncio, Anthony Riberi, in the summer of 1946. Since then, the Hong Kong Diocese is directly responsible to the pope. Enrico Valtorta
Enrico Valtorta
Enrico Pascal Valtorta was the last Apostolic Vicar and the first Roman Catholic bishop of Hong Kong. He was born in Italy at Carate Brianza, and was ordained priest on 30 March 1907 for the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions...
became the first bishop of Hong Kong.
In 1949, refugees fleeing the Communist regime began to pour into Hong Kong, including many Catholics and clergymen from all over China; diocesan activities were effectively restricted to the boundaries of the Colony. In 1952, the diocese opened seven new chapels for refugees.
In 1969, Bishop Francis Hsu
Francis Hsu
Francis Hsu Chen-Ping ; , was a Chinese clergyman. He was the third bishop, , of the Hong Kong Catholic diocese....
(徐誠斌主教) became, after the resignation of Lorenzo Bianchi
Lorenzo Bianchi
Lorenzo Bianchi 白英奇主教 was born in Italy, at Corteno, near Brescia, Mons. Lorenzo Bianchi was ordained Priest of Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions on September 23, 1922 and arrived in Hong Kong September 13, 1923....
, the first Chinese bishop in Hong Kong.
On 29 May 1988, John Baptist Wu (胡振中), the 5th bishop, was named a member of the Sacred College of Cardinals
College of Cardinals
The College of Cardinals is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church.A function of the college is to advise the pope about church matters when he summons them to an ordinary consistory. It also convenes on the death or abdication of a pope as a papal conclave to elect a successor...
by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. He was the first to be named cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
from the Hong Kong diocese.
On 18 August 1991, an Open Forum on "Elections 1991", jointly organized by the Council of Priests, the Justice and Peace Commission, the Central Council of Catholic Laity and the Catholic Institute for Religion and Society, was held in the nine constituencies of Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories in order to encourage the faithful to take an active part in the direct elections to the Legislative Council on 15 September. Church organizations also made a similar appeal to the faithful and ordinary citizens through publications, questionnaires and advertisements in newspapers.
On 15 April 1993, the diocese was re-divided into nine deaneries. Council of Priests reorganized with all the deans included as ex officio members.
After the death of Cardinal Wu on 23 September 2002, his coadjutor
Coadjutor bishop
A coadjutor bishop is a bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican churches who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese, almost as co-bishop of the diocese...
Joseph Zen became the 6th bishop of Hong Kong.
On 17 August 2003, eight members of the radical Rainbow Action gay rights group disrupted a Sunday Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
at the Catholic Cathedral. They were responding to the Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
s, as set forth by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 3 June 2003, in a document entitled "Considerations regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions between Homosexual Persons". Subsequently, Bishop Zen met with representatives of various gay rights groups to clarify the Church’s stand and reaffirmed that he had no discrimination against homosexual persons as such.
On 8 July 2004, the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...
passed the Education (Amendment) Bill. Under the New Ordinance, which would be effective on 1 January 2005, every aided school would be required before 2010 to form an incorporated management committee (IMC) whose members should include elected representatives of teachers, parents of students and alumni, as well as other independent persons, with a view to promoting a school-based management. It was the concern of the Church that, as a sponsoring body, she would no longer be empowered in the future to supervise the schools under her sponsorship, nor be able to achieve her goals and objectives in Catholic education. On 5 June 2005, Bishop Zen announced that, if the Legislative Council pass the donation to support schools to create incorporated management committees on 8 July 2005, he would appeal against the decision to the court. After the Government decided to give up some main argued points, the Diocese decided to support the motion.
On 22 February 2006, Pope Benedict XVI announced that Bishop Joseph Zen would be raised to the College of Cardinals. He received his red biretta on 24 March 2006 after a day of reflection on 23 March. He received his cardinalatial ring on 25 March 2006, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord.
Political influence
Joseph Zen was an outspoken supporter of democracy and critic of the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. His views on government policies were often at odds with those of Hong Kong's Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, also a Catholic.
List of leaders
The first resident priest of the colony was Michael Navarro, a Spanish Franciscan, who arrived in January 1842.Prefect Apostolic
- Theodore Joset (22 April 1841– 5 August 1842)
- Antonio Feliciani, O.F.M. (11 December 1842 – 10 May 1847) as Prefect Apostolic ad interim
- Théodore Augustin Forcade, M.E.P. (10 May 1847 – 12 September 1885) as Pro-Prefect Apostolic
- Antonio Feliciani, O.F.M. (24 August 1850 – 20 Jun 1855) as Prefect Apostolic ad interim
- Aloysius Ambrosi (20 June 1855 – 10 March 1867) - formerly Luigi Ambrosi
- Giovanni Timoleon RaimondiTimoleon RaimondiTimoleon Raimondi was the Last Prefect and First Vicar Apostolic of Hong Kong .Raimondi was born in Milan, Italy and ordained as a priest in 25 May 1850...
, M.E.M. (17 November 1867 – 27 December 1868) as Pro-Prefect Apostolic - Giovanni Timoleon RaimondiTimoleon RaimondiTimoleon Raimondi was the Last Prefect and First Vicar Apostolic of Hong Kong .Raimondi was born in Milan, Italy and ordained as a priest in 25 May 1850...
, M.E.M. (27 December 1868 – 4 October 1874)
Vicar Apostolic
- Giovanni Timoleon RaimondiTimoleon RaimondiTimoleon Raimondi was the Last Prefect and First Vicar Apostolic of Hong Kong .Raimondi was born in Milan, Italy and ordained as a priest in 25 May 1850...
, M.E.M. (4 October 1874 – 27 September 1894) - Louis PiazzoliLouis PiazzoliLouis Piazzoli was the Apostolic Vicar of Hong Kong from January 11, 1895 to 1904.Born in Bergamo, Italy, Piazzoli was ordained as a priest on 1 September 1868....
, M.E.M. (11 January 1895 – 26 December 1904) - Dominic PozzoniDominic PozzoniDominic Pozzoni, , was born in Italy. He was ordained a priest on 1 March 1885 and arrived in Hong Kong on 19 December 1885. Pozzoni was appointed Bishop of Tavia and third Apostolic Vicar of Hong Kong on 12 July 1905. He died in Hong Kong.-References:*...
, M.E.M. (12 July 1905 – 20 February 1924) - Giovanni M. Spada, P.I.M.E. (20 February 1924 – 8 March 1926) as Vicar Capitular
- Enrico Pascal ValtortaEnrico ValtortaEnrico Pascal Valtorta was the last Apostolic Vicar and the first Roman Catholic bishop of Hong Kong. He was born in Italy at Carate Brianza, and was ordained priest on 30 March 1907 for the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions...
, P.I.M.E. (8 March 1926 – 31 October 1948)
Bishop
- Enrico Pascal ValtortaEnrico ValtortaEnrico Pascal Valtorta was the last Apostolic Vicar and the first Roman Catholic bishop of Hong Kong. He was born in Italy at Carate Brianza, and was ordained priest on 30 March 1907 for the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions...
, P.I.M.E. (31 October 1948 – 3 September 1951) - Lorenzo BianchiLorenzo BianchiLorenzo Bianchi 白英奇主教 was born in Italy, at Corteno, near Brescia, Mons. Lorenzo Bianchi was ordained Priest of Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions on September 23, 1922 and arrived in Hong Kong September 13, 1923....
, P.I.M.E. (3 September 1951 – 30 November 1968) - Francis Hsu Chen-PingFrancis HsuFrancis Hsu Chen-Ping ; , was a Chinese clergyman. He was the third bishop, , of the Hong Kong Catholic diocese....
(20 June 1969 – 23 May 1973) - Lei Wang-Kei PeterPeter LeiLei Wang-Kei Peter 李宏基主教 was the fourth bishop of Hong Kong in the Catholic Church of Hong Kong.Born in Nam Hoi, Lei was ordained priest on 6 July 1955 and Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong 3 July 1971, appointed Titular Bishop of Octaba 8 September 1971.He was sworn in as the Vicar...
(21 December 1973 - 23 July 1974) - Gabriel Lam-Cheuk-Wai (23 July 1974 - 25 July 1975) as Vicar Capitular
- John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung (25 July 1975 – 23 September 2002)
- Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B. (23 September 2002 – 15 April 2009)
- John Tong HonJohn Tong HonJohn Tong Hon is a bishop of the Catholic Church. In his youth, he spent ten years living in Huadu, Guangzhou before returning to Hong Kong. He earned a master's degree in philosophy from the Chinese University of Hong Kong before going on to doctoral studies at the Pontifical Urbaniana...
(15 April 2009 -
Coadjutor Bishop
- Lorenzo BianchiLorenzo BianchiLorenzo Bianchi 白英奇主教 was born in Italy, at Corteno, near Brescia, Mons. Lorenzo Bianchi was ordained Priest of Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions on September 23, 1922 and arrived in Hong Kong September 13, 1923....
, P.I.M.E. (21 April 1949 - 3 September 1951) - Joseph Zen Ze-kiun, S.D.B. (13 September 1996 - 23 September 2002)
- John Tong HonJohn Tong HonJohn Tong Hon is a bishop of the Catholic Church. In his youth, he spent ten years living in Huadu, Guangzhou before returning to Hong Kong. He earned a master's degree in philosophy from the Chinese University of Hong Kong before going on to doctoral studies at the Pontifical Urbaniana...
(30 January 2008 - 15 April 2009)
Auxiliary Bishop
- Francis Hsu Chen-PingFrancis HsuFrancis Hsu Chen-Ping ; , was a Chinese clergyman. He was the third bishop, , of the Hong Kong Catholic diocese....
(1 July 1967 - 30 November 1968) - Lei Wang-Kei PeterPeter LeiLei Wang-Kei Peter 李宏基主教 was the fourth bishop of Hong Kong in the Catholic Church of Hong Kong.Born in Nam Hoi, Lei was ordained priest on 6 July 1955 and Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Hong Kong 3 July 1971, appointed Titular Bishop of Octaba 8 September 1971.He was sworn in as the Vicar...
(3 July 1971 - 8 September 1971) - John Tong HonJohn Tong HonJohn Tong Hon is a bishop of the Catholic Church. In his youth, he spent ten years living in Huadu, Guangzhou before returning to Hong Kong. He earned a master's degree in philosophy from the Chinese University of Hong Kong before going on to doctoral studies at the Pontifical Urbaniana...
(13 September 1996 - 30 January 2008)
See also
- Christianity in Hong KongChristianity in Hong KongChristianity has been in Hong Kong since 1841. Of about 670,000 Christians in Hong Kong, most of them are Protestants and Roman Catholics.-Catholicism:...
- Anglican Diocese of Hong Kong Island
- Sino-Vaticanese relationsPeople's Republic of China – Holy See relationsThere have been no official People's Republic of China – Holy See relations since 1951.The Beijing government broke off diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 1951 after a complicated incident...
External links
- Official website of the diocese
- timeline of the history of the Diocese
- Giga-Catholic Information
- UCAN Diocese Profile
- article on the Apostolic Vicariate of Hong Kong from the Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic EncyclopediaThe Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
of 1913.