ROME (AsiaNews): Bishop Peter Wu Junwei of Yuncheng, in Shanxi, China died on May 10 from a heart attack. He was only 59-years-old.
Ordained a priest in 1990, he was ordained a bishop in 2010, dedicating himself to evangelisation, working hard on the issue of Church-owned property, organising catechesis for the faithful, and building new places of prayer.
Bishop Wu had been ill for some time as a result of his work leading the local Church, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Under heavy pressure, the hard work undermined his health. In recent years, many Catholic religious, even young ones, have died due to work-related stress.
Born in a village near Taiyuan in 1963, Bishop Wu entered the junior seminary in 1982, a year after high school. He was ordained a eight years later.
From 1991 to 1996 he was parish priest in Shagou, then was in charge of diocesan affairs until 2001. Between 2001 and 2009 he was rector of the Shanxi major seminary.
In September 2009 he moved to Yuncheng, and a year later he was appointed bishop of the diocese, with the approval of the Holy See and Chinese authorities.
At his investiture Mass, Bishop Wu publicly thanked Pope Benedict XVI for his appointment and trust in him, and vowed to “remain firm and faithful to the Holy Father”.
He also urged the faithful to follow St. Matthew’s example and renounce everything to follow Christ and dedicate themselves to the cause of evangelisation.
Bishop Wu was the eldest of six siblings from a Catholic family: one brother became a priest while a sister joined the consecrated life.
His great-uncle, St. Peter Wu Anbang, was killed during the Boxer Rebellion of 1899 to 1901, and was canonised in 2000 as one of 120 Chinese martyrs.
