The Vatican has yet to issue any public statement following the death of Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo, one of the most prominent figures of China’s underground Catholic Church, who died at age 90 after decades of persecution under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to LifeSiteNews.
Bishop Jia’s ministry was marked by extraordinary faith and endurance through repeated arrests and imprisonment, beginning in 1962. According to LifeSiteNews, his prison terms ranged from periods of house arrest to as long as 15 years, all for refusing to submit to the regime’s state-approved Catholic Patriotic Association. His arrests often coincided with tense moments in Vatican–China relations, including a major diplomatic setback in 2009.
That year, Bishop Jia’s detention reportedly brought negotiations between the Holy See and the CCP to a standstill. The Vatican, then under Pope Benedict XVI, warned that “situations of this kind create obstacles to that constructive dialogue with the competent authorities.… This is not, unfortunately, an isolated case,” according to a Vatican commission cited by LifeSiteNews.
Since the 2018 Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops in China, the Holy See’s tone toward Beijing has softened under Cardinal Pietro Parolin’s guidance. The Vatican has repeatedly emphasized that the agreement aims to achieve ecclesial unity. As L’Osservatore Romano explained, “The main purpose of the Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops in China is to support and promote the proclamation of the Gospel in those lands, reconstituting the full and visible unity of the Church,” according to LifeSiteNews.
However, many in China’s underground Church say that unity has not yet been realized and that persecution persists. The CCP continues to impose restrictions on clergy and lay Catholics, particularly those refusing to join the state-sanctioned church.
Bishop Jia also dedicated his life to caring for orphans, running an orphanage for more than three decades despite constant pressure from Chinese authorities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, LifeSiteNews reported that officials demanded he sign an agreement promising that no children under 18 would attend his church if it were to remain open.
In a 2016 interview with La Stampa, Bishop Jia revealed the source of his strength amid persecution: “All we needed was to have God in our heart,” he said. “This is what sustained and protected me all that time. So it is His doing, not mine.… Sometimes difficulties can also help us grow, trusting and loving Jesus.”
Though Rome has remained publicly silent since his passing, Bishop Jia’s faith and perseverance continue to inspire Catholics both in China and around the world—offering a powerful reminder of steadfast witness under oppression.
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