Bishop Yang was admitted to a local hospital after his health deteriorated. He had respiratory problems and inflammatory swelling of the body, leaving him unable to eat and sleep for days.
In a statement, the Diocese of Handan paid him tribute saying, “For 72 years, Monsignor Yang has demonstrated strong faithfulness to the Lord, kindness to all, a life of simplicity and relentless dedication to his flock. Now that he has completed his journey, we request clergy, religious and faithful to pray for eternal rest of his departed soul.”
Bishop Stephen Yang was born in Wu’an City in Hebei province on 17 November 1922. He studied at the major seminary in Kaifeng in neighbouring Henan province and was ordained a priest on 27 August 1949. After serving as a parish priest in Kaifeng for a year, he returned to his hometown and worked in Wu’an for 16 years.
Father Yang was arrested in 1954, but was released following trial and returned to his ministry.
In 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, he was rearrested and, in 1970 was sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was acquitted of all charges on 15 March 1980 and released.
For the next 16 years, Father Yang served in various districts in Hebei including Handan, Shexian, Wu’an and Cixian, which later became part of the Diocese of Handan.
He became the rector of the diocesan seminary and chaplain of the Congregation of the Consolation of the Holy Spirit.
On 30 November 1996, he was ordained auxiliary bishop by his predecessor, Bishop Peter Chen Bolu, and was appointed bishop of Handan on 17 September 1999.
Though he was ordained with the Vatican’s mandate, Bishop Yang didn’t want to be tagged as an “underground bishop.” He also refused to give in and join state-sanctioned Church bodies despite being pressured to do so, Church sources say.
On 21 June 2011, he secretly ordained his successor, coadjutor Bishop Joseph Sun Jigen, with the Vatican’s approval. In retaliation, the authorities arrested two priests and placed Bishop Sun in custody, but he was released three days later.
Following his detention, Bishop Yang suffered a heart attack and was hospitalised for days.
Bishop Yang denounced cross demolitions by authorities in the name of Sinicisation of religions and supported strong protests by priests against cross demolitions in Wenzhou in Zhejiang province in 2015.
