Roman Catholic Diocese of Suzhou

Ming dynasty The Italian Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci introduced Catholicism into Jiangsu in 1599. He stayed in Suzhou in January of that year. In 1616, Giulio Aleni founded a church in Changshu, which is currently a city in the Suzhou Diocese. His son, the Qianlong Emperor, continued the practice. The Daoguang Emperor rescinded most anti-Christian edicts in 1844. • January 2022, September 2022: Adherence to the Sinicization of Catholicism == Bishops ==

The first bishop of Suzhou was Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei (). He was consecrated in 1949. Later he was arrested in 1955 and released in 1985. He left China for the United States in 1988 and died in 2000. Kung was named Cardinal in pectore by Pope John Paul II in 1979. His membership in the College of Cardinals was made public in 1991, after Kung left China. According to the Chinese Province of the Jesuits, the auxiliary bishop Joseph Fan Zhongliang () would have automatically succeeded as the bishop of Suzhou Diocese after Kung's death. Fan was secretly consecrated in 1985. However, he was not recognized by the Chinese government. He died in 2014. Catholic Patriotic Association Ignatius Shen Chuming () became the vicar general of Suzhou in 1956. He was elected bishop in 1958 and consecrated in 1959. He was a standing member of the national Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) of China. The year of his death is uncertain: according to Catholic-Hierarchy.org, he died in 1966; according to the Committee of Ethnic and Religious Affairs of Jiangsu (), he died in 1974. In 2016, Pope Francis met Bishop Xu in Vatican City, making Xu the first ever mainland Chinese bishop to meet the Pope. == Churches ==

According to Jiangsu's Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA), an organization affiliated with the Chinese united front, the diocese contains the following churches: Gusu • Cathedral of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, also known as Yangjiaqiao Catholic Church • Daxin Alley Catholic Church () Xiangcheng • Xiangcheng Catholic Church () Wujiang • Lili Catholic Church () • Shengze Catholic Church () Changshu • Tangjiao Catholic Church () Zhangjiagang • Houcheng Catholic Church () • Yangshe Catholic Church () • Luyuan Catholic Church () Kunshan • Xiaohengtang Catholic Church (): upon its consecration on 2 May 2016, it was the tallest Catholic church in China. It has a tall main spire and a boat-shaped structure. • Lujia Catholic Church () Taicang • Loudong Catholic Church () • Zhangjing Catholic Church () == See also ==