Chinese Bishop Dies

31 August 2005

^{Funeral for Xie Shiguang
Photo from}^AsiaNews

Monsignor Xie Shiguang, the bishop of Mingdong, died of leukemia on August 25 at the age of 88. Between 1955 and 1992, Xie had spent a total of twenty-eight years in prison because of his work with the underground Catholic Church. From the time of his release until his death, he was under constant police surveillance. The Vatican praised Xie as a "courageous witness to Christ."

Continue to pray for the many Christians suffering for their faith in China. Pray for a strong Church leadership able to guide their flock through these items of trials and persecution.

For more information on China and the persecution facing the Church there, click here. Several video features from China are available on VOMC's multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com.

China

Current Ministry Projects
The Voice of the Martyrs Canada continues to help distribute Bibles to Christians in the country, making it possible for them to have their own printed version of God's Word. Additionally, VOMC works with various mission partners to facilitate a Biblical understanding of persecution and discipleship, while presenting ways to effectively respond and minister within the context of hostility.

Project Funds: Underground Church, Bible, Relief & Development
Country Information
Population
1,413,142,846 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Han Chinese (91.1), ethnic minorities (8.9 - includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

Religion (%)
Folk religion (21.9), Buddhist (18.2), Christian (5.1), Muslim (1.8), Hindu (< 0.1), Jewish (< 0.1), other (0.7 - includes Daoist [Taoist]), unaffiliated (52.1) (2021 est.)

Leader
President Xi Jinping (2013)

Government type
Communist party-led state

Legal system
Based on civil law system; influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems

Sources: CIA World Factbook
Pray for China
Pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout China without government interference so many more names can be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life." May there also be a spirit of unity demonstrated among the country's growing churches, further strengthening existing believers and spurring them on in their ministry service and evangelistic outreach within the country's numerous communities.