Father Joseph Guo Fude, China’s oldest Catholic priest, died at 104 years of age after suffering 25 years of imprisonment under communist rule and continuing ministering to China’s Catholic community into his 90s.
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — The oldest Catholic priest in China died last month at the age of 104, having spent some 25 years in prison for his faith at the hands of the nation's communist government.
Chinese Catholic website Xinde reported recently that Father Joseph Guo Fude died on December 30, just a few months before his 105th birthday. Guo Fude was the oldest priest in China, having been ordained in 1947, two years prior to the official beginning of the communist regime in China.
After being admitted to hospital with a fever on December 19, he died in the early hours of December 30, mourned widely by his friends and the religious sisters who cared for him.
AsiaNews documented that the priest – a member of the Society of the Divine Word – was dedicated in ministering to Catholics throughout his life, despite the severe personal cost.
His first arrest at the hands of the communist authorities was in 1959. In his memoirs, Guo Fude wrote he was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison on the charge of “subversive activity against the state.”
Two more arrests followed: in 1967 on charges of being a “foreign spy,” and in 1982.
Undaunted by his successive years behind bars, the zealous priest spent a total of 25 years in prison through the course of his life.
READ: China demands more ‘rigorous governance of religion,’ mandates Catholics study socialism
As recounted by those close to him, Guo Fude lived a notably pious life. Notwithstanding his age, he offered daily Mass until his last day.
Keeping a strict schedule of prayer he also cultivated a lively practice of offering sacrifices in union with Christ crucified. He continued his ministry to Catholics in China until past his 90th birthday, culminating by teaching in a seminary.
He was keen to stay abreast of developments in the Church, and would ensure that the religious community around him was well supplied with ecclesial news as well as spiritual readings.
According to an account written by a priest friend, Guo Fude would rise at 4:30 a.m. for meditation, before offering Mass at 6:00 a.m. His many years spent in prison had a deep impact on him for the remainder of his life.
Writing at the time of his 100th birthday, Guo Fude commented that “my imprisonment gave me the strength to face life’s challenges and continue to serve God, knowing that every trial was part of His divine plan. My experience in prison taught me that earthly riches are ephemeral, while faith in God is the only true wealth.”
Delivering the homily at Guo Fude’s funeral Mass, Bishop John Lu Peisen of Yanzhou – a bishop appointed in 2011 with Holy See approval – described the priest as living a life of “selfless dedication.”
Lu recounted that Guo Fude often commented that “the mission of the priesthood originally carries the mark of Christ's crucifixion, and it is necessary to walk through the thorns by oneself as well as to illuminate the way forward for others.”
Commenting on Guo Fude’s witness to the Catholic faith, China expert and author Benedict Rogers told CNA that his life provided an “opportunity to pray for the persecuted Church in China, advocate for religious freedom, and be guided by Father Guo’s example of persistent, determined, steadfast, and defiant faith in the face of brutal repression.”
Guo serves “a symbol of the courageous faith and extraordinary suffering of China’s Catholics,” Rogers added.
While Guo Fude suffered a quarter of a century behind bars for his loyalty to the faith and to Rome, in recent years Chinese Catholics have expressed their strong concern that Rome is not as loyal to them.
The 2018 Sino-Vatican deal has now been renewed three times, most recently in October for a four year period. It is believed to recognize aspects of the state-approved church in China and allows the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to appoint bishops.
READ: Vatican renews its secretive deal with China for appointing bishops
The Pope apparently maintains veto power, although in practice it is the CCP that has control. It also allegedly allows for the removal of legitimate bishops to be replaced by CCP-approved bishops.
Cardinal Joseph Zen, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, styled the agreement as an “incredible betrayal,” with the much-loved prelate further accusing the Vatican of “selling out” Chinese Catholics.
The deal has also led to an increase in religious persecution since it was signed. The ink had barely dried on the deal in 2018 before AsiaNews, a website that regularly documents the abduction and torture of underground Catholics, reported that “(u)nderground Catholics bitterly suspect that the Vatican has abandoned them.”
The U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China directly linked increased Christian persecution to the deal, and in its latest report re-iterated that “the Chinese Communist Party and government have continued their efforts to assert control over Catholic leadership, community life, and religious practice, installing two bishops in contravention of the 2018 Sino-Vatican agreement and accelerating the integration of the church in Hong Kong with the PRC-based, state-sponsored Catholic Patriotic Association and its Party-directed ideology.”
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