“Underground” Coadjutor Bishop Anthony Zong Changfeng of Kaifeng in central Henan province was laid to rest during a funeral ceremony in his Zhouzhi home town on November 29.
The prelate, who never assumed office because of obstructions from the government, died on November 22 at the age of 79, after receiving the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and amid the prayers of his supporters.
Bishop Zong lived as a priest in Zhouzhi diocese, central Shaanxi province.
Local Catholics described him as “genuinely underground,” as he never concelebrated Mass and seldom had contact with priests of the “open” Church community.
“He put on only his zucchetto to say Mass every day at home, attended by dozens of people,” a source said.
Living a frugal life, Bishop Zong’s enthusiasm for building churches and conducting pastoral work earned him the respect of local Catholics.
About 3,000 faithful from several counties attended his funeral in the Nanyu village Church. Three bishops and some 40 priests celebrated the funeral Mass, after which his body was buried in the church courtyard.
Born to a Catholic family in 1932, Bishop Zong entered the seminary at the age of 12. He was forced to return home after the seminary was disbanded amid growing political turmoil. However, he maintained his priestly vocation while working as a livestock breeder and brick maker during the Cultural Revolution.
In 1979, when religious activities revived, he was ordained a priest and then served in parishes in Zhouzhi. Despite many difficulties and his weak health, he organized Catholics to pool resources to build 13 churches.
Bishop John Baptist Liang Xisheng of Kaifeng in neighboring Henan province secretly ordained the then Fr Zong as his coadjutor bishop in 1998, but the government prevented him from assuming his office and pastoral duties.
The “impeded” prelate continued to serve the Zhouzhi diocese until his retirement from ill health in 2008, after which he lived with a nephew in Nanyu village until his death.
http://www.ucanews.com/2011/12/01/underground-bishop-dies-at-79/
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