Rome, Italy, Feb 18, 2010 / 14:06 pm
On February 2, at the age of 88, Bishop Raymond Wang Chonglin died after 60 years of priesthood. He leaves behind an enormous legacy as the "truly good shepherd" of the Diocese of Zhaoxian, China, where the Christian communities he established remain.
The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano (LOR) released a biographical sketch of Bishop Wang on Thursday. He was described as "a simple man, intelligent and virtuous ... and of sincere loyalty to the Church."
Out of his 60 years as a priest, 20 were spent in detention. Several years after his release, he was made bishop of Zhaoxian, where for most of the last 27 years he oversaw the care of the Catholic community as well as the construction of a seminary and convent. He also encouraged care for orphans and religious instruction.
LOR reported that for those who knew him, Bishop Wang was described as "inexhaustible in the work of evangelization, without letting himself be discouraged by the difficulty."