Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Zhongshan (Agenzia Fides) - Bishop Pietro Paolo Li Panshi of Kongmoon (Jiangmen), Guangdong Province of China, (100 km from Canton) died on January 4 at the age of 95. Born on 12 July 1911 he entered Macao Seminar in 1922 and was ordained a priest in 1944. For many years after 1949 Bishop Li earned a living growing bananas and keeping rabbits, while he continued to announce the Gospel. After the Cultural Revolution 1966-1976 he was allowed to return to his village to work as a peasant. Only in 1981 he was given permission to resume his pastoral work in the city of Zhongshan. He was made a bishop on 27 September 1981.
One of his main concerns as a bishop was reconciliation among Chinese Catholics. As a man he was strict with himself but affable and hospitable towards others. The little money he managed to save in his frugal life served for the formation of the clergy another task to which the Bishop devoted his efforts despite many difficulties.
Today the diocese of Jiangmen has about 20,000 Catholics spread in the towns of Jiangmen and Zhongshan and in 20 rural counties. In their pastoral work the priests, two elderly and six young ones, have to speak three languages Cantonese, Hacca and Mandarin and several local dialects
The funeral Mass of Bishop Li Panshi was celebrated by Bishop Giuseppe Liao Hongqing of Kaying (Meixian/Meizhou) with the vicar general and all the priests of the diocese in the presence of about a thousand Catholics and a good number of representatives of the civil authorities. The body of the Bishop was laid to rest in the Catholic Cemetery in Zhongshan. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 31/1/2007; righe 21, parole 293)
