(Hong Kong — August 26, 2025) On October 28, 1926, Archbishop Celso Costantini, together with six Chinese priests, received episcopal consecration in Rome from Pope Pius XI. They were: Odoric Cheng Hede (Franciscan, Diocese of Puqi, Hubei); Melchior Sun Dezhen (Vincentian, Diocese of Anguo, Hebei); Hu Ruoshan (Vincentian, Diocese of Taizhou, Zhejiang); Philippe Zhao Huaiyi (Diocese of Xuanhua, Hebei, diocesan priest of Beijing); Simon Zhu Kaimin (Jesuit, Diocese of Haimen, Jiangsu); and Aloysius Chen Guodi (Franciscan, Diocese of Fenyang, Shanxi). In the center stood Archbishop Costantini. This was the second time in history, after Bishop Luo Wenzao’s consecration in 1685, that Chinese persons were ordained as bishops, a span of 241 years.
Looking Back a Century: Centennial of the Consecration of Six Chinese Bishops, Scholars Gather in Hong Kong to Reflect on the Indigenization of the Church
A century ago, China welcomed its first native bishops. Today, scholars have gathered in Hong Kong to reflect on the profound impact of the inculturation movement.
As the Chinese Catholic Church’s inculturation movement marks its centennial, scholars from around the world recently convened in Hong Kong for an international symposium to review and reflect on the 1926 ordination of six Chinese bishops in Rome. The symposium not only revisited this historic turning point but also engaged contemporary questions of China’s contemporary religious landscape, national identity, and the global Church’s interaction.
Entitled “Centennial of the Consecration of the Six Chinese Bishops in Rome (1926) – The Indigenization of the Chinese Catholic Church and the Rise of Chinese Cardinals”, the conference took place on August 11–12 at Hong Kong Baptist University. Nearly twenty scholars from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, the United States, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Italy participated, exploring the symbolic significance of the 1926 ordination for the Chinese Church, society, and Eastern-Western cultural exchange.
Historical Background: From the Boxer Rebellion to the Rise of Local Clergy
On October 28, 1926, Pope Pius XI personally ordained six Chinese bishops at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome: Philippe Zhao Huaiyi (Vicariate Apostolic of Xuanhua), Melchior Sun Dezhen (Vicariate Apostolic of Lixian), Joseph Hu Ruoshan (Vicariate Apostolic of Taizhou), Odorico Cheng Hede (Vicariate Apostolic of Puqi), Aloysius Chen Guodi (Vicariate Apostolic of Fenyang), and Simon Zhu Kaimin (Vicariate Apostolic of Haimen). Their appointments were seen as a turning point in the Chinese Catholic Church’s move away from Western dominance toward inculturation.
This decision came amid an era of dramatic social upheaval, marked by the 1900 Boxer Rebellion’s large-scale attacks on foreign missionaries, the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, the May Fourth Movement, and the Northern Expedition of 1926. The Vatican, increasingly attentive to China’s situation, began promoting the training and appointment of local clergy. Following Pope Benedict XV’s 1919 apostolic letter Maximum Illud, papal envoys were dispatched to China to establish seminaries and apostolic delegations, laying the groundwork for inculturation.
Four Major Themes: Interweaving History and Contemporary Reflection
The symposium focused on four themes: the process of Inculturation, Chinese cardinals, the lives and challenges of individual bishops, and the overall assessment of the inculturation movement.
Professor Anthony E. Clark of Whitworth University (U.S.), in a presentation titled “Resurgam” (Latin for “I shall rise again”), unveiled for the first time digitized images and documents from the Council of Shanghai in 1924, the consecration of bishops in 1926, and the establishment of the Church hierarchy in 1946.. He argued that these events marked the Church’s gradual move away from colonial imprints toward self-governance and theological autonomy.
Professor Paul Mariani of Boston College and Professor Cindy Yik-yi Chu of Hong Kong Baptist University examined the roles of Chinese bishops in specific historical contexts. Professor Mariani explored the revival of the Church after China’s reform and opening through the life of Bishop Louis Jin Luxian; Professor Chu analyzed Cardinal John Tong Hon and early cardinals such as Paul Yu Pin and Thomas Tien Ken-sin, highlighting how these Church leaders preserved faith, engaged in dialogue, and developed local strategies under political tensions.
“No Longer a Foreign Religion”: Religious Adaptation and Cultural Dialogue
Zhou Pingping of Tongji University argued that the inculturation movement of the 1920s was a result of the intertwining of religious adaptation and rising nationalism. “The appointment of Chinese bishops weakened the perception of Catholicism as a ‘foreign religion’ and fostered dialogue with local culture.”
Scholars from the University of Saint Joseph in Macau and Masaryk University in the Czech Republic noted that amid war and social turmoil, these bishops often lived simple lives. Through prayer and adherence to Church tradition, they developed pastoral and missionary strategies that were both faithful to Rome and rooted in Chinese culture, serving as models for later generations of Chinese clergy.
Participants generally agreed that the 1926 consecration, though occurring amid surging nationalism and political unrest, was not a compromise to external pressures but rather the fruit of the Church’s own drive for inculturation, reflecting the delicate balance between loyalty and autonomy in the Chinese Catholic Church.
Contemporary Perspectives: From Historical Study to Reflection
Naomi Thurston of the Chinese University of Hong Kong emphasized that today’s Church historical studies are profoundly shaped by global history, post- and anti-colonial discourses, and transnational and diasporic narratives. She urged scholars to reflect critically on their own research paradigms when using digital resources and theoretical frameworks, and remain vigilant against ideological discourses.
She noted: “The Church is not only a religious institution but also a bearer of culture and a participant in political realities. When we revisit the 1926 ordination, we are also reflecting on the history of how a global faith took root and flourished in local soil.”
Lessons Left for Contemporary Society
At the conclusion of the symposium, several scholars emphasized that the 1926 inculturation movement is no longer just a page in Church history, but an ongoing experiment. A century later, while the Catholic Church in China is now firmly led by Chinese clergy, the consecrated bishops’ language skills, international vision, wisdom in engagement with the government, and their simplicity and resilience continue to offer valuable lessons for today’s Church leaders.
China Aid Association
