A devoted servant of the Church and a symbol of the suffering
Roman Catholic Church in China, His Excellency Most Reverend
Archbishop Dominic TANG Yee-Ming, S.J., the Roman Catholic
Archbishop of Canton in Guangzhou province, China, died of
pneumonia on Tuesday, June 27, 1995 at 1:40 p.m. at St. Joseph
Medical Center, Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A. He was 87 years
old.
Born in Hong Kong in a devout Catholic family, Archbishop Tang
entered the Jesuit novitiate in Spain in August 1930. He pursued
his theological studies in Shanghai and was later ordained in
1941. His pastoral work expanded to a myriad of roles including
parish priest, principal of a primary school and welfare work in
Canton (Guangzhou) province.
Archbishop was a founding advisor of the Cardinal Kung
Foundation. During his visits each year, he spent much time
advising the Foundation in its policy and programs, keeping it
abreast of the development of the underground Church. He shared
with us some of his plans and dreams for the loyal church. The
Foundation is forever indebted to his wise counsel, support and
encouragement.
As symbols of the persecuted Roman Catholic Church in China,
Archbishop and Cardinal Kung had a special bond. They are the
only two Roman Catholic Bishops from Communist China who had the
chance to live in the free world. They were both consecrated
bishops after China turned Communist. They both were jailed in
different parts of China for extended period, 22 and 30 years.
Yet, by providence, they met again in 1990 in the United States
after nearly 40 years of indescribable experience. Even more
important, they were close friends who worked together for many
years in Shanghai.
Each May, for the last five years, Archbishop Tang would spend a
week with Cardinal Kung in Stamford, Connecticut. Archbishop
often commented that the Cardinal is his very dear friend of
fifty years.
In the 1940's, Archbishop Tang taught English in the Jesuit High
School in Shanghai, where His Eminence, the then Father Kung, was
the principal and a Latin teacher. Archbishop was very proud
that, as a diocesan priest, Father Kung was appointed principal
of two top Jesuit Schools.
Archbishop treasured the memories of many weekends in China he
had with Father Kung, bicycling to the parishes to assist in
hearing confessions and other services. In 1949 after China
turned Communist, Father Kung obediently accepted the episcopacy
as the first national Bishop of Shanghai. When Archbishop was
appointed Bishop of Canton in 1953, he traveled to Shanghai and
sought counsel with Bishop Kung.
Bishop Gustave Deswaziere, who consecrated Bishop Tang, said at
the consecration: "By accepting the appointment from the
Holy See in these difficult times, the new bishop was showing
absolute obedience and a spirit of sacrifice."
During the following years, Archbishop said that he often looked
to Bishop Kung for his interpretation and reaction to the many
new policies of the Communist government which terminated or
restricted the activities of the Church.
Handcuffed, thumbprinted and photographed, Archbishop Tang was
arrested like a common criminal on February 5, 1958. The
government charged him as "the most faithful running-dog of
the reactionary Vatican." He stayed in jail for 22 years
until his sudden release in 1981 when he was given permission to
leave China for a cancer operation in Hong Kong.
Archbishop Tang was never brought to trial, and therefore, was
never convicted of any crime. Since his release, he had never
shown any bitterness for his 22 years of imprisonment even though
no apology was ever expressed by the Chinese government. The only
official comment from the Chinese Government was that it was the
leniency of the Government that the Archbishop was released.
Leniency? After 22 years in jail without a trial?
A stout defender of the suffering Roman Catholic Church in China,
the Archbishop was a prisoner of conscience because of his
allegiance to the Pope and because of his continued refusal to
join the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
The Patriotic Association is established by an atheistic Chinese
Communist Government. It rejects the Pope's authority and is not
recognized by the Roman Pontiff. All Patriotic Association
bishops are appointed by the Chinese Government and are ordained
without the Pope's approval.
The Roman Catholic Church is loyal to the Pope, and has been
persecuted by the Chinese Communist government since 1949. These
persecutions still continue today. The Roman Catholic Church is
illegal in China and is commonly referred to as the underground
(loyal, clandestine and suffering) Roman Catholic church.
According to his memoirs, the 22 years of incarceration consisted
of long periods of interrogation, a 7- year solitary confinement,
permanent intense hunger and malnutrition. He was not allowed to
receive letters, and was not given clothing or basic supplies.
After his only pair of shoes worn out he went barefoot for the
remaining 22 years.
Archbishop summed up his philosophy in his autobiography. He
wrote:
"In prison, I always asked God to grant me the grace
to progress in virtue., e.g. humility and obedience....I obeyed
only the regulations which did not conflict with the principles
of my faith. I want to be gentle and kind to others, without
resisting ill-treatment from others; when controlled and walked
on, I did not complain. There are many opportunities for
practicing virtue in prison." "When I was a seminarian,
I learned to do God's will. God's will required me to practice
virtue in prison. This was God's love for me."
Archbishop Tang was permanently exiled by the Chinese government
in June, 1981 when he was elevated to Archbishop by Pope John
Paul II. The Chinese government considered this decision of the
Pope an interference in the internal affairs of China. The
Patriotic Association of Canton immediately announced that
Archbishop Tang has been removed as the Bishop of Canton.
Living in exile in Hong Kong, Archbishop Tang traveled
extensively over the last 13 years, continuing his apostolate by
visiting Chinese Catholics and many prelates in Japan, Southeast
Asia, Australia, Europe, America and Canada. As a tireless
advocate of the underground church, the Archbishop once confided
in us, "Cardinal Kung and I are the only two bishops
from the communist China living in the free world. Cardinal is 7
years older than I. He cannot travel easily. I must do the
traveling for both of us, to bring the true situation of the
persecuted church to the free world."
In January 1995, Archbishop Tang fell ill with pneumonia in San
Francisco. After a month of hospitalization, he recuperated at
St. Ann's Home under the loving care of the Little Sister of the
Poor. He was very insistent that he be present at Cardinal Kung's
triple anniversary celebration. Archbishop said: "This
is not only a joyous day for His Eminence, it is a very
significant day for the entire loyal church in China. I must be
there with His Eminence." Sister Lorraine, the
Little Sister of the Poor, who nursed him to health expressed, "His
Grace worked very hard to improve his health to convince his
doctors that he was fit to travel. He was so excited that his
health improved significantly in May." The Jesuit
community sent an assistant and a nurse to accompany him.
He arrived in Stamford on May 25th to participate in Cardinal
Kung's triple anniversaries - 65th year of holy priesthood, 45th
year as a bishop and 15th year as a Cardinal. Archbishop spent
four very happy days living together with Cardinal Kung. He was
very happy to see many old friends from Canada, Taiwan, and
different parts of the United States.
Sadly, on the morning of his scheduled departure, Archbishop was
again ill with pneumonia, eventually proving fatal.
I was privileged to be with him for the entire length of his
hospitalization. He treasured life and was most positive even to
the very end of his days. Many times, he said: "I have
so much more work to do." He had friends by his
bedside in the intensive care, planning and talking about the
underground church. He was an inspiration to everyone.
Soon after his admission to intensive care, the doctor, in the
presence of the nurse supervisor and another nurse, asked him
whether he would want a respirator if one day his breathing
becomes difficult. His answer was simple and direct.
"Yes, of course. I waited in jail for 22 years. I can wait a
little longer." Two weeks later, his breathing was
indeed getting difficult. The doctor confirmed with Archbishop
again. Archbishop again replied, "yes".
Cardinal visited him frequently. Forty minutes before
Archbishop's death, Cardinal Kung entered his room. Standing at
the head of his bed, with tears in his eyes, Cardinal bid
farewell to his friend, giving him the final blessing.
Archbishop's two nieces, a nurse, my wife Agnes, and myself were
all with him. Archbishop had not responded for a couple of days.
His mouth was open. We thought that the Archbishop might be
unconscious, and might not be able to kiss the crucifix himself.
After the blessings and prayers, we told Archbishop to please
kiss the crucifix. We placed the crucifix gently to his lips. At
the touch of his lips, Archbishop immediately closed his mouth
and firmly kissed the crucifix three times in front of His
Eminence!
As we sensed the end was near, we observed the monitor closely.
All of us were praying by his bed. His blood pressure and
heartbeat kept dropping steadily. Finally, without a sign of
struggle, His Excellency, Archbishop Dominic Tang, SJ went
peacefully to His Lord. We immediately began praying to this new
patron of the underground Church.
During his illness in the intensive care, old friends, priests
and religious sisters, including the Little Sisters of the Poor,
Superiors of the Jesuit community from overseas, and throughout
the United States visited him and prayed by his side. The
hospital phone was kept busy with well wishes and prayers from
his friends.
Two days later, I had the honor to accompany Archbishop's body to
San Francisco where he resided before traveling to Stamford,
Connecticut. Cardinal Kung concelebrated a Mass of Resurrection
with the tri-state Chinese clergy in Queens, New York on
Saturday, July 1, 1995. On the same day in San Francisco, another
Mass was celebrated by His Excellency Archbishop Quinn and
concelebrated by two other bishops and about 80 priests. Other
masses of resurrection were offered in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao
and various underground dioceses in China. The Archbishop was
laid to rest temporarily in an above ground crypt above the
statue of St. Ignatius in the chapel at Santa Clara Mission
Cemetery.
One day when China is free, the body of Archbishop Tang, the
first Chinese national bishop of Canton, will be brought back to
his own Diocese and be finally laid to rest at the foot of the
altar of his Cathedral in Canton.
Archbishop, we thank you for your example of fidelity and for
your incessant effort for the underground church. Please
intercede for us.