Home News Retired bishop of Hebei in China hospitalized; appeal for prayer on social...

Retired bishop of Hebei in China hospitalized; appeal for prayer on social media blocked

An appeal for prayers for the bishop appeared on social network Weixin but it was later blocked by the government

Bishop emeritus Stefano Yang Xiangtai of Hebei in China was reportedly brought to a hospital this week due to “serious health conditions.”

A report on AsiaNews said an appeal for prayers for the bishop appeared on social network Weixin but it was later blocked by the government.

Bishop Yang, who is 99 years old, has been hospitalized for several days already, said the report, adding that he had difficulty breathing.




“Pray for the bishop and ask the Lord to give Msgr. Yang the strength to face illness and suffering. Pray that he will recover soon!” read the Weixin post.

Bishop Yang suffered a heart attack in June 2011 upon hearing about the abduction of his successor, Coadjutor Bishop Joseph Sun Jigen. The police took Bishop Sun three days before his ordination.

The AsiaNews report said Bishop Yang is not an “underground” bishop, but he has never submitted to the “patriotism” linked to the Chinese Communist Party.

In 2015, he supported the protests of Wenzhou clergy against the demolition of crosses in churches in Zhejiang province.

- Newsletter -

He also launched a novena of prayer and a day of fasting as a gesture of reparation after learning of the theft of three tabernacles and the desecration of the Eucharist in a church in the village of Xiao Di Ba in June 2016.

© Copyright LiCAS.news. All rights reserved. Republication of this article without express permission from LiCAS.news is strictly prohibited. For republication rights, please contact us at: [email protected]

Support Our Mission

We work tirelessly each day to tell the stories of those living on the fringe of society in Asia and how the Church in all its forms - be it lay, religious or priests - carries out its mission to support those in need, the neglected and the voiceless.
We need your help to continue our work each day. Make a difference and donate today.

Latest