Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Wuzhou (Agenzia Fides) - On 20 August 2007 Bishop Benedict Cai Xiufeng, of Wuzhou (Wuchow) in the autonomous region of Guangxi of mainland China, died at almost 90 years of age after years of suffering from a heart condition and chronic diabetes. Benedict Cai Xiufeng was born in 1918 in Pingnan, Guangxi. He was baptised in 1932. He studied at a minor seminaries in Jiangmen, Guangdong, and then at Wuzhou, Guangxi, and then went on to major seminary in Guiyang, Guizhou and concluded his formation at Aberdeen (Hong Kong). He was ordained on 3 December 1948 by Bishop Frederic-A. Donaghy, M.M. His first task as a priest was to teach English and Latin at the seminary.
For 22 years from 1956 to August 1978, he was in prison “at the School of Saint Paul” as he called it. In 1980 he returned to work in Wuzhou: he taught English in a secondary school and then resumed his ministry as a priest. His “realistic” attitude to the general situation enabled him to accept a degree of control if it allowed him to exercise his ministry, however he was intransigent with regard to Christian principles and fidelity to the Pope.
The diocese of Wuzhou (Wuchow) has 20,000 Catholics, assisted by 4 priests and 26 nuns and there are 5 seminarians. The deceased Bishop was known for his simple life style: it is said that when he died he was wearing the same clothes purchased about 20 years ago for only three yuan. He urged people not to give too much importance to money, because - he used to say - “love of money is a path the hell”. The Bishops funeral on 24 August was attended by many priests, religious and lay faithful. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 5/10/2007; righe 22, parole 297)
