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San Jose Buries a Martyr

Kung's Requiem Mass in San Jose Not Attended by Local Bishops

By Joe Marti

On March 20, San Jose hosted the high pontifical requiem Mass for Cardinal Ignatius Kung, the long-persecuted bishop of Shanghai. The honor of the Mass being held in San Jose is magnified by the extraordinary life of Cardinal Kung; many people believe a case can be made for his future canonization. Father Joseph Terra of the Fraternity of St. Peter remarked, "He experienced a white martyrdom." Cardinal Kung succumbed to cancer of the stomach on March 13th at the Stamford, Connecticut home of his nephew, Joseph Kung. He had been living there since coming to the United States in 1988 for medical treatment.

At the requiem Mass over 500 people competed for seats at Five Wounds Catholic Church on East Santa Clara Street. Paul Cardinal Shan, bishop of Kaohsiung, Taiwan flew to San Jose and was the celebrant for the Latin Mass. St. Ann's Choir of Palo Alto lent their talent. Notably absent, however, was the bishop of San Jose, Patrick McGrath. When asked about the non-appearance of McGrath at Kung's funeral, the Bishop's secretary replied, "He was completely out of town."

Bishop McGrath wasn't the only one missing. "Of the ten ordinaries in California, none were here," remarked Father Raymond Dunn, master of ceremonies for the requiem Mass. According to Father Dunn, the funeral for Cardinal Kung given the week before in Connecticut was attended by 5 archbishops, 4 bishops, and about 100 priests from all over the country. Father Dunn went on to speculate that the reason for the absence of California ecclesiastical notables could be due to a "desire to have a hands-off approach to the Patriotic Church of China."

Despite his absence, it was felt that thanks must be given to Bishop McGrath for his willingness to allow the traditional rite in one of his churches. One person remarked, "It's been a long time since people who want the Tridentine Mass were granted their legitimate request in this diocese." Cardinal Shen said, "This is the first time I've said this Mass since [the Novus Ordo]. I am glad to be here"

Cardinal Kung, born in Shanghai in 1901, was ordained a priest in 1930. He was consecrated a bishop in 1949 and was named bishop of Shanghai and apostolic administrator of the dioceses of Nanjing and Suzhou only days after the communists founded the People's Republic of China in 1949. During this time, the communists had created a schismatic church called the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association. Bishop Kung risked arrest many times as he performed public acts of defiance to the Patriotic association and showed public deference toward the pope. Kung oversaw the Legion of Mary in and around Shanghai and continued to lead public Roman devotions under the eyes of police.

In 1955, Bishop Kung was arrested with more than 200 priests and Church leaders in Shanghai. Months following the arrest, he was taken out to a mob in the old dog racing stadium in Shanghai. When he was ordered to the microphone to confess, he shouted, "Long live Christ the King, long live the pope!" He was put into a police car and was not seen again until 1960. When he reappeared, it was so the Chinese authorities could sentence Kung to life imprisonment for leading a "counterrevolutionary clique under the cloak of religion." The night before he was brought to trial, the chief prosecutor asked for his cooperation to establish the Chinese Patriotic Association. Kung answered, "I am a Roman Catholic Bishop. If I denounce the Holy Father, not only would I not be a bishop, I would not even be a Catholic. You can cut off my head, but you can never take away my duties." Cardinal Kung spent the next thirty years behind bars, many spent in solitary confinement.

In 1979, Cardinal Kung was elevated to a cardinal in pectore by Pope John Paul II. Neither Kung nor the world knew of this until 12 years later. Through the efforts of his nephew, Joseph Kung, and other organizations, such as Amnesty International, the Red Cross, and the U.S. government, Cardinal Kung was released in 1985 to serve house arrest under the custody of the Patriotic Association bishops.

Shortly before he was released from jail, Cardinal Kung was allowed to join a dinner organized by the Shanghai government to welcome Cardinal Jaime Sin, archbishop of Manila. This was the first time since being imprisoned that Cardinal Kung met with a visiting bishop from the Roman church since being imprisoned. Cardinal Sin and Cardinal Kung were seated on opposite ends of the table, were separated by more than 20 Communists, and had no chance to speak privately. During the dinner, Cardinal Sin suggested that each person should sing a song to celebrate. When Cardinal Kung's turn came, he looked at the visiting cardinal and sang, "Tu es Petrus et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam" (You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church). After the dinner, Aloysius Jin, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association's bishop in Shanghai, reproached Cardinal Kung, "What are you trying to do? Showing your position?" Cardinal Kung replied, "It is not necessary to show my position. My position has never changed."

After being granted permission to travel to the United States to receive medical attention, he was able to travel to Rome on June 29, 1991 to receive his biretta in the consistory in the Vatican. Against the wishes of others who were aware of his fragility, the cardinal rose from his wheelchair, set aside his cane, and knelt at the foot of the pope. As he made his way back to his wheelchair, the 9000 guests in the audience hall broke into an extraordinary seven-minute standing ovation. Joseph Kung, president of the Cardinal Kung Foundation, which monitors the millions of Catholics worshiping in the underground Roman Catholic church in China, said "Many people, because of his example, took the risk of defending the Church, of defending the pope and, as a result, literally hundreds, or thousands, went to jail." On March 14th, Pope John Paul II eulogized Cardinal Kung for his "heroic fidelity to Christ amid persecution and imprisonment."

For now, Cardinal Kung's remains will repose next to those of another Chinese cardinal, Bishop Dominic Tang Yee-Ming, archbishop of Guangzhou (formerly Canton), who was likewise imprisoned for many years (22) under the Chinese government. The two cardinals did not know each other until after both were released from prison. According to Father Dunn, both bodies will be taken to China for reburial when the Communists no longer are in power.

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