Professor Liu Zhiqing's study covers evolution of Chinese dioceses from the 16th century to the modern era
Catholics attend a Mass in a church in China in this file image. A Chinese academic has published a book on the history and evolution of Catholic dioceses in China. (Photo: AFP)
A Chinese academic has published an updated version of a book that documents a complete overview of the history and evolution of Catholic dioceses in China from the 16th century to modern times, says a report.
The book, History of the Evolution of Catholic Dioceses in China by Professor Liu Zhiqing, has been published under the patronage of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Fides news agency reported.
The first version of the book was published in 2017 and the latest edition includes new contributions and insights on the advent and the growth of Catholic dioceses.
“The work, of great importance from an academic point of view, is of interest not only for scholars interested in historical events but also touches on issues relevant to the present and future of Chinese Catholicism,” the report said.
The book covers the history of Catholicism in China starting from 1576, when the Diocese of Macau, the first diocese in the Far East, was established by Pope Gregory XIII. During that time Macau Diocese covered China, Japan, Vietnam, and the Malay Archipelago.
Fides reported that the division of Chinese dioceses is one of the key issues at the heart of current and future negotiations between the Holy See and the Chinese government.
“The volume is also a treasure trove of concrete proposals for the future organization of the Catholic ecclesiastical district network in China,” the report said.
The book is the result of years of research and in-depth study, also drawing on sources and documents kept in the archives of religious orders, and on the direct testimonies of key figures in the Chinese Catholic Church, such as Bishop Thomas Zhang Huaixin, who headed the diocese of Weihui (now Anyang), in Henan province.
The establishment of Catholic missions in China "began during the Yuan dynasty and was interrupted by the fall of that dynasty. In the 1670s Macau became an independent diocese," reads the book’s introduction.
"On the eve of the founding of the new China, in 1949," says the introduction, "there were 144 dioceses in China."
The book systematically reconstructs the historical development of China's Catholic dioceses, provides basic information about the bishops who alternated at the head of the individual ecclesiastical circumscriptions, traces the history of the founding and development of each diocese, and documents the boundaries of districts, counties, and cities, which are subject to the respective jurisdiction.
The book also contains a comprehensive and detailed account of the division of Chinese dioceses up to 1949, when the Communists took over China.
Professor Liu graduated from Henan University's Faculty of History in 1988.
He is a lecturer at the Institute of History and Social Development and Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Religion and Culture at Anyang Normal University (Henan province).
Liu is also a visiting scholar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan. As part of his collaboration with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the professor has also participated in annual visits and the exchange of papers and research with the Center for Catholic Studies.
He has been studying and researching Chinese Catholicism for more than 30 years.
Liu authored various articles on Chinese Catholicism including "A Study of the History and Current Situation of Catholic Dioceses in China"; "Reflections on the Formation of Priests in the Anyang Diocese"; "Four Missions of Canadian Missionaries in Anyang", "Basic Analysis of the Religious Impact on Chinese Society" and "Chronicles of Catholicism in Henan".
His most recent research "A Study of the Missionary History of Religious Congregations in China" provides a comprehensive picture of missionary work carried out in China by as many as 27 religious congregations and missionary institutes.
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