Michael Fu Tieshan

Fu Tieshan
傅铁山
Bishop Michael Fu Tieshan
President of Catholic Patriotic Association
In office
10th National People's Congress
In office
1998–2010
Preceded byJoseph Zong Huaide
Succeeded byAnthony Liu (acting)
John Fang Xingyao
Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
In office
2003–2007
Personal details
Born(1931-11-03)November 3, 1931
DiedApril 20, 2007(2007-04-20) (aged 75)

Bishop Michael Fu Tieshan (Simplified Chinese: 傅铁山, Traditional Chinese: 傅鐵山; November 3, 1931 – April 20, 2007) of Beijing was a top leader of the Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA).

Biography

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Coat of Arms of Bishop Michael Fu Tieshan

In 1931, Fu was born[1]: 57  in Qingyuan County, Hebei province. As a youth, he entered minor seminary.[1]: 57  In 1956, he was ordained a priest.[1]: 56 

From 1963 to 1966, he studied at Red Flag University in Beijing.[1]: 57 

The historical record is unclear on Fu's experience during the Cultural Revolution.[1]: 57  At some point, Fu married.[1]: 57 

In 1979 was made a bishop by Beijing.[2] He was the first state-appointed bishop since the Cultural Revolution.[1]: 96  The appointment lacked the approval of the pope.[2]

In 1981, Fu was a part of the first delegation that the CCPA sent to an international meeting, attending an ecumenical meeting organised by the Canadian Council of Churches.[1]: 88 

He was appointed chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association in 1998.[2] He was acting president of the government-recognized Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China. He was named vice chairman of the standing committee of the National People's Congress, China's legislature, in 2003.[2]

Fu died in Beijing Hospital from lung cancer.[2] His death was announced in Beijing by the Xinhua news agency.[2]

Anthony Liu Bainian, vice chairman of the Patriotic Association, told UCA News, an Asian church news agency, that Fu wanted to "see his priests, whom he hasn't met for a long time" due to his long illness.

He was succeeded by Joseph Li Shan.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Mariani, Paul Philip (2025). China's Church Divided: Bishop Louis Jin and the Post-Mao Catholic Revival. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-29765-4.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Fu Tieshan, 76; head of China's church clashed with Vatican". Los Angeles Times. 2007-04-22. Retrieved 2025-08-28.
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Catholic Church titles
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Joseph Zong Huaide
President of the Catholic Patriotic Association
1998-2010
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