Pope Pius XII, as was the case for many of his predecessors, considered communism as not just a political ideology but a new religion. Responding to the rapidly deteriorating situation in China, in Ad Sinarum Gentem (“To the Chinese People”) he excoriated the establishment of a national church, which “could no longer be Catholic because it would be the negation of that universality or rather ‘catholicity’ by which the society truly founded by Jesus Christ is above all nations and embraces them one and all.”
Kung knew he would be arrested, and to maintain the long-term survivability of the Church he needed to prepare the laity to pass down the faith. Kung, with the help of many priests and faithful Catholics, built up an impressive network in Shanghai that allowed the Church to continue operating. This took the form of clandestine catechism groups (an initiative first spearheaded by the priest Beda Chang, who is considered the first Catholic martyr of the Church in Shanghai) and preaching sessions.
As more parishes and administrative offices had been surveilled and raided, foreign missionaries were expelled and Chinese clergy arrested. Lay Catholic associations, such as the Legion of Mary, played a crucial role in disseminating information around the diocese and maintaining networks of communication. In effect, Kung had managed to lay the groundwork for the formation of what would become the underground Church.
His arrest and refusal to acquiesce
Kung’s arrest on Sept. 8, 1955, was one of the last major blows to Catholic resistance. That night more than 300 priests and lay Catholics were arrested. For the party, years of patience and propaganda had paid off. The so-called “Kung Pin-Mei counterrevolutionary clique” had been eradicated. Following his arrest, there were further arrests as well as indoctrination sessions. Many broke down, accused Kung of counterrevolutionary activity, and registered with the government.
Despite attempts by interrogators, Kung refused to acquiesce to the party’s demands and legitimate the patriotic church. Shortly after his arrest, when asked to denounce the pope in a public stadium, Kung defiantly yelled in front of the crowd, “Long live Christ the King. Long live the pope.” He spent the next five years in prison and in 1960, during a show trial, he was given a life sentence in prison.
In prison, he was subjected to often horrific conditions and went through extended periods of intense solitary confinement. According to someone familiar with the cardinal’s time in prison, he was often kept on his floor and the prison guards were told to not interact with him. He was also denied medical care and visits from humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross. According to the source, one package that was sent to the cardinal was returned as said prisoner “did not exist.”
The goal was to break his resolve and his spirit and yet his faith never wavered. Those familiar with the cardinal’s story recounted how while in prison he would recite the Mass in Latin by memory and the cardinal, who had a strong Marian devotion, prayed the rosary using only his fingers.
Despite the pressure, Kung never succumbed, seen in his 1979 appeal letter where he reiterated: “To separate from the sole representative of Jesus Christ on earth, the Roman pontiff, is to make myself losing the most basic Catholic faith, becoming a heretic without the pope … This is a serious issue in the history of the holy Catholic Church for which millions of people have fought by shedding their blood and sacrificing their lives.”
In the 1980s, following the excesses of the cultural revolution, China was going through a period of “opening up” to soften its image abroad and attract foreign investment. In 1985 Kung went on parole. Though it was supposed to last five years, in 1988 after having served only half of the term, he was inexplicably released. He went to the United States at the age of 88 to receive medical treatment — despite his wishes, he never returned to China.
Though created a cardinal “in pectore” by Pope John Paul II in 1979, it wasn’t until June 29, 1991, in a public consistory that he was introduced to the world as Cardinal Kung. Following the consistory, the pope said: “I felt that the whole Church could not but honor a man who has given witness by word and deed, through long suffering and trials, to what constitutes the essence of life in the Church: participation in the divine life through the apostolic faith and evangelical love.”
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Then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1999 commended Kung for his courage and faith.
“In your decades of fidelity to the Church, you have followed the example of Christ the Good Shepherd, and even in the face of great suffering, have not ceased to proclaim the truth of the Gospel by your words and example. For your faithful witness to Christ, the Church is deeply grateful.”
Kung died in 2000 at the age of 98. Like many, he wanted to be a good Catholic and a good citizen, but he was caught between living his faith authentically or compromising with the government. He always maintained “I am a good citizen. I was born and brought up in China.” This sentiment was reflected by Pope John Paul II in a message of condolence where he said the cardinal was “a noble son of China and a noble son of the Church.”
Nearly 70 years after his arrest, Kung is remembered as he preached fidelity to the Successor of Peter and to the Church and exemplified this with his own life. An individual familiar with the situation of the underground Church in China told CNA: “The underground Church is wounded, but it is alive, there are vocations; the faith is being passed down from generation to generation.”
Just as he played a crucial role in maintaining the faith in China, Kung continues to provide an example of faith, hope, and courage to those Catholics and to persecuted Catholics the world over.
Matthew Santucci has recently started in EWTN's Vatican bureau. He grew up in Connecticut and has been living in Rome since 2020. He has a B.A. in History from Fordham and an M.A. in International Relations from Luiss Guido Carli.