Bishop Peter Liu Guandong, who was once the primary leader of China’s
“underground” Catholic Church, has died at the age of 94.
Bishop Liu, the retired head of the Yixian diocese, was the key figure
in setting up a conference of Catholic bishops loyal to Rome.
He had
spent years in prison, and since 1997 had been living in hiding.
Ordained in 1945, Bishop Liu was arrested in 1955, released after 2
years, then soon imprisoned again for his opposition to the
government-controlled Patriotic Association.
He was eventually released
in 1994 and consigned to house arrest after suffering a crippling
stroke, but supporters managed to arrange his escape.
Bishop Liu was succeeded in the Yixian diocese by Bishop Shi Enxiang - who
was himself arrested in 2001 and has not been seen in public since that
time.