“I write these lines as a spiritual leader, empathizing with the sentiments of millions of people at this moment… I write with love towards all, seeking a durable solution, praying for an end forever to the periodic darkness that envelops our dear nation…”
~ Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, wrote in a message to the people of Myanmar and the international community following the Feb. 1 military coup in the Southeast Asian nation.
What is going on in Myanmar? What is the Catholic Church calling for today?
What is the local Catholic population? How many dioceses, bishops are there…
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c/o Zhangzhuang Dazhangzhuang Catholic Church,
Xianxian county, Cangzhou,
Hebei 062250, China
Phone: +86 317 463 10 84
Bishop Joseph Li Liangui is the Vatican-appointed and government-approved ordinary of the open Church in Cangzhou (Xianxian) Diocese, in Hebei province, northern China. He was ordained on March 20, 2000, at the age of 36 by then-retired Jesuit Bishop John Liu Dinghan of Cangzhou. Co-ordainers were Bishop Petrus Fan Wenxing and Auxiliary Bishop Mathias Chen Xilu, both of neighboring Hengshui diocese, also in Hebei. Around 1,000 Catholics attended the liturgy.
Bishop Li, born into a fervent Catholic family in 1964, was ordained a priest in 1991. He had been rector of Cangzhou diocesan preparatory minor seminary and vice rector of Hebei Provincial Seminary in Shijiazhuang. Since in 1999, Vatican-approved Bishop Peter Hou Jingwen of Cangzhou died in a traffic accident, Bishop Li was recalled from Hebei seminary to deal with diocese matters.
In 2000, Bishop Li began to rebuild the cathedral, which was completed three years later.
In 2006, he officiated at the cathedral the ceremony of commemorating the 150th anniversary of the diocese. About 5,000 Catholics participated.
