On Saturday, June 22, Pope Francis appointed Giuseppe Yang Yongjiang from Zhoucun, Shandong province, eastern China, as Bishop of Hangzhou. The appointment falls within the scope of the agreement between the Roman Catholic Church and the People’s Republic of China. The prelate was participating in the general assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
By Gianni Valente*
Giuseppe Yang Yongqiang is the new Bishop of Hangzhou, capital of China’s Zhejiang province, “as part of the dialogue on the implementation of the Interim Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China.”
According to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office last Saturday, June 22nd, “On June 12th, 2024, the Pope appointed Giuseppe Yang Yongjiang from the See of Zhoucun (Shandong Province, China) to the position of Bishop of Hangzhou (Zhejiang Province, China).” The solemn Divine Liturgy to celebrate the bishop’s installation in his new see will be held on Thursday, June 27th at the Hangzhou Cathedral.
Giuseppe Yang Yongqiang was born on April 11, 1970, into a Catholic family in Boxing, Shandong Province. In 1987, he entered the Holy Spirit Seminary in Jinan. He studied philosophy and theology at the seminary and Sheshan Seminary in Shanghai. He was ordained a priest on June 15, 1995. After serving as a parish priest, he furthered his studies at the National Seminary in Beijing. He then served as a lecturer at the Holy Spirit Seminary. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of Zhoucun, ordained on November 15, 2010, and led the diocese on February 8, 2013, succeeding Bishop Ma Xiang. He was appointed Bishop of Hangzhou by Pope Francis on June 12, 2024.
In October 2023, Giuseppe Yang Yongqiang, together with another bishop from mainland China, Bishop Antonio Yao-Sheng of the Jining/Wumeng Diocese, attended the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which was held on the theme “Synodal for the Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.” In an exclusive interview with Fides News Agency afterwards, Bishop Yang said he was “honored” to have been invited to participate in the Synod of Bishops General Assembly in Rome, saying it was “an opportunity to share my own journey of faith while listening to the faith journey of others.”
In the same interview, Bishop Yang described how his priestly vocation blossomed: “I grew up in a family with Catholic traditions, and the faith of the elders in my family, especially my grandmother, had a great influence on me. I remember my grandmother telling us to recite our prayers every night and to bow before statues and pictures of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and other saints before going to bed. My grandmother herself would pray until late into the night.” He added: “Once, my mother went on a pilgrimage to Shengmu Mountain in Huzhuang. When she returned, she told us that she had seen a young seminarian sitting and reading a book in a church in western Jinan. He looked calm and disciplined. Her eyes lit up when she spoke. Her words stayed with me and planted the seed of becoming a priest in me.”
In the interview, the new Bishop of Hangzhou also said: Imitation of Christ The teachings that inspired him on his travels were: “Avoid unnecessary conversation. Stay as far away as possible from the hustle and bustle of people. In fact, even if you go in with pure intentions, dealing with worldly things is a great hindrance, for you soon become tainted by vanity and become a slave to it. Many times I wished I had remained silent and not gone among people.”
Bishop Yang also shared a personal anecdote about his ordination: “My father introduced me to the parish priest, Father Li Chonglun, and said, ‘Today I am handing this child over to the Church. I cannot rest in peace until he is ordained.’ I never expected that my father’s words would turn out to be prophetic. The day after my ordination by Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian, I received a call that my father had passed away. I broke down in tears. My father’s words are similar to those of Simeon in the Gospel of Luke, and are even quoted in the Vespers prayer: ‘Lord, now let your servant depart in peace according to your word…’ So every time I recite that prayer, I feel like I am praying for my father.”
The Diocese of Hangzhou is home to 30,000 Catholics. The bishopric was vacant. On June 25, 2000, Father Matteo Cao Shande was ordained as Bishop of Hangzhou illegally (because it was not given by papal decree). Then, on June 8, 2008, the Holy See legitimized him without giving him jurisdiction. Bishop Cao died on July 9, 2021, at the age of 92, after a long illness.
* Director of Fidesz News Agency
