China's Catholic church on Friday held a funeral for its most
senior clergyman, Bishop Fu Tieshan, who died of illness at the age
of 76.
More than 10 bishops, 150 priests and nuns and 1,000 followers
from across the country paid their respects at the Babaoshan
cemetery in western Beijing.
Fu, elected as bishop of the Beijing diocese in 1979, was the
first bishop ordained by the Chinese Catholic church since the
founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
In a statement released after Fu's death, the Communist Party of
China (CPC) called Fu a distinguished patriotic religious leader, a
well-known social activist and a close friend of the CPC.
Fu was also vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the 10th
National People's Congress, vice-president of the Chinese
Association for International Understanding, chairman of the
Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, acting chairman of the
Bishops Conference of Catholic Church of China and bishop of the
Catholic Diocese of Beijing.
(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2007)