When John Baptist Wu was the first Hong Kong bishop to visit China since 1949

“The Roman Catholic bishop of Hongkong, the Most Rev John Baptist Wu, will head a five-member delegation to China soon at the invitation of the Chinese Government,” reported the South China Morning Post on March 14, 1985. “Bishop Wu will be the first Catholic Bishop from Hongkong to visit China officially since the communists took power in 1949. This visit is seen as a significant step by both sides to begin a dialogue despite Peking’s opposition to the Vatican’s diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

“The official Catholic Church in China – known as the Patriotic Catholic Association – broke with Rome in the late 1950s to survive in the communist state.

“In Peking, [Wu] will visit the graves of Matteo Ricci – the 16th century Jesuit evangelist who opened China to the gospel and served as a bridge between East and West. In Shanghai, the group will tour the Our Lady’s Basilica.