| His Eminence John Wu |
|
|---|---|
| Bishop of Hong Kong | |
| Diocese | Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong |
| Enthroned | 25 July 1975 |
| Reign ended | 23 September 2002 (27 years, 60 days) |
| Predecessor | Peter Lei |
| Successor | Joseph Zen |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1952 |
| Consecration | 1975 |
| Created Cardinal | 29 June 1988 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 May 1925 Wuhua, Guangdong, China |
| Died | 23 September 2002 (aged 77) Hong Kong, China |
| Buried | St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery, Hong Kong |
| Styles of John Wu |
|
|---|---|
| Reference style | His Eminence |
| Spoken style | Your Eminence |
| Informal style | Cardinal |
| See | Hong Kong |
Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung (胡振中樞機; March 26, 1925 —September 23, 2002) was the fifth Bishop of Hong Kong's Catholic church and a Cardinal. He was a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
He was born in the village of Ho Hau, Wu-hua (Province of Guangdong, Diocese of Kai-ying). Baptized in the village's parish church, he received his primary education there. He Joined the diocesan minor seminary of Ka-ying for his secondary education in 1940.
He was appointed the fifth Bishop of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese by His Holiness Pope Paul VI as successor to Bishop Peter LEI Wang-kei who had died on July 23, 1974. He arrived in Hong Kong and on July 25 was ordained and officially installed as Bishop of the Hong Kong in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
After due preparation, he initiated a Diocesan Renewal Movement for priests, laity and religious. On March 25, 1985, he led a five-member delegation on a seven-day visit to Beijing and Shanghai, at the invitation of the National Bureau of Religious Affairs under the State Council of China. He was the first bishop of Hong Kong to visit the mainland China. Later on January 21, 1986, he led a seven-member delegation on a ten-day visit to Guangzhou and the eastern part of his home Province, Guangdong, at the invitation of the Bureau of Religious Affairs of that Province. This visit marked the first reunion with his 85 years old mother, after a separation of 40 years.
He was named a member of the Sacred College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II on May 29, 1988.
After the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, on July 11, 1989, he wrote a letter to all the bishops in the world, requesting them to appeal for justice, order and democracy in China.
On September 1, 1991, Wu issued a pastoral letter that exhorting the faithful to give full support to the direct elections to the Legislative Council - the first time in the history of Hong Kong - on 15 September. In 1999, he convoked the "Diocesan Synod" to meet the pastoral needs of the Third Millennium.
He died on September 23, 2002 in Hong Kong at the Queen Mary Hospital, aged 77. He had been suffering from cancer and diabetes
| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Peter Lei |
Bishop of Hong Kong 1975 – 2002 |
Succeeded by Joseph Zen |