List of Roman Catholic bishops of Hong Kong

The Bishop of Hong Kong is the head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, who is responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. The Diocese of Hong Kong is nominally part of the ecclesiastical province of Canton and thus is a suffragan of that archdiocese.^[1][2] However, it has been exempt in practice since 1951, when the People's Republic of China severed diplomatic relations with the Holy See.^[3] As a Crown colony of the United Kingdom at the time,^[4] Hong Kong was unaffected by this and relations with the Vatican continued unabated. Consequently, the bishop of Hong Kong answers "directly to the Holy See".^[1] The current bishop is Stephen Chow.

Bishop of Hong Kong
Bishopric
catholic
Incumbent: Stephen Chow
Location
Ecclesiastical province	Directly subject to the Holy See (de facto) Guangzhou (de jure)
Information
First holder	Theodore Joset (apostolic prefect) Enrico Valtorta (bishop)
Formation	1841 (apostolic prefecture) 1946 (bishopric)
Cathedral	Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Website
catholic.org.hk/en

The diocese began as the Apostolic Prefecture of Hong Kong, which was created on 22 April 1841.^[5] Theodore Joset was appointed its first ordinary, and under his reign, the city's first Catholic church was built on Wellington Street.^[6] On 2 September 1890, the prefecture was elevated to the status of apostolic vicariate. It was raised to the level of diocese on 11 April 1946,^[5] as part of the establishment of the ecclesiastical hierarchy in China under the papal bull Quotidie Nos by Pope Pius XII.^[7][8]

Nine men have been Bishop of Hong Kong; another six were heads of its antecedent jurisdictions. Four bishops – John Baptist Wu, Joseph Zen, John Tong Hon, and Chow – were elevated to the College of Cardinals.^[9] Francis Hsu, the ninth ordinary of the diocese, was the first ethnically Chinese bishop of Hong Kong.^[10] Tong, whose episcopacy spanned from 2009 to 2017, was the first bishop born in Hong Kong.^[11] Wu had the longest tenure as Bishop of Hong Kong, serving for 27 years from 1975 to 2002, while his immediate predecessor Peter Lei held the position for seven months (1973–1974), marking the shortest episcopacy.^[12]

List of ordinaries

Key

‡	Denotes bishop who was elevated to the College of Cardinals
MEM PIME	Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions
OFM	Order of Friars Minor (Franciscan Order)
SDB	Salesians of Don Bosco
SJ	Society of Jesus

Dominic Pozzoni was Apostolic Vicar from 1905 until his death in 1924.

Enrico Valtorta was the last Apostolic Vicar of Hong Kong and its first bishop.

Joseph Zen was appointed coadjutor bishop in 1996, the year before the Handover, to preclude interference from the Chinese government in selecting Cardinal Wu's eventual successor.^[13]

John Tong Hon was the first native-born bishop of Hong Kong.

Apostolic Prefects of Hong Kong

Apostolic Prefects

From	Until	Incumbent	Notes	Ref(s)
1841	1842	Theodore Joset	Appointed on 22 April 1841. Arrived in Hong Kong on 3 March 1842. Died on 5 August 1842.[upper-alpha 1]	[16]
1850	1855	Antonio Feliciani, OFM	Appointed on 24 August 1850.[upper-alpha 1] Resigned on 20 June 1855. Died on 17 March 1866.	[14]
1855	1867	Luigi Ambrosi	Appointed on 20 June 1855. Died on 10 March 1867.[upper-alpha 2]	[18]
1868	1874	Timoleon Raimondi, MEM	Appointed on 27 December 1868.[upper-alpha 2]	[17]

Apostolic Vicars of Hong Kong

Apostolic Vicars

From	Until	Incumbent	Notes	Ref(s)
1874	1894	Timoleon Raimondi, MEM	Became the first Apostolic Vicar of Hong Kong on 4 October 1874. Died on 27 September 1894.	[17]
1895	1904	Louis Piazzoli, MEM	Appointed on 11 January 1895. Returned to Italy on 4 August 1904. Died on 26 December 1904.	[19][20]
1905	1924	Dominic Pozzoni, MEM	Appointed on 12 July 1905. Died on 20 February 1924.[upper-alpha 3]	[22]
1926	1946	Enrico Valtorta, PIME	Appointed on 8 March 1926.[upper-alpha 3]	[23]

Bishops of Hong Kong

Bishops

From	Until	Incumbent	Notes	Ref(s)
1946	1951	Enrico Valtorta, PIME	Became the first Bishop of Hong Kong on 11 April 1946. Installed on 31 October 1948. Died on 3 September 1951.[upper-alpha 4]	[23]
1951	1968	Lorenzo Bianchi, PIME	Coadjutor bishop[upper-alpha 5] from 1949 to 1951. Installed on 26 October 1952, after his release from prison in mainland China.[upper-alpha 4] Resigned on 30 November 1968. Died on 14 February 1983.	[20][27]
1969	1973	Francis Hsu	Auxiliary bishop from 1967 to 1968. Apostolic administrator from 1968 to 1969. First Chinese bishop of the diocese. Died on 23 May 1973.[upper-alpha 6]	[10][29]
1973	1974	Peter Lei	Auxiliary bishop from 1971 to 1973. Appointed on 21 December 1973.[upper-alpha 6] Died on 23 July 1974.[upper-alpha 7]	[28]
1975	2002	John Baptist Wu‡	Appointed on 5 April 1975.[upper-alpha 7] Elevated to cardinal on 28 June 1988. Died on 23 September 2002.	[13][31]
2002	2009	Joseph Zen, SDB‡	Coadjutor bishop from 1996 to 2002. Elevated to cardinal on 24 March 2006. Retired on 15 April 2009, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75.	[32][33][34]
2009	2017	John Tong Hon‡	Auxiliary bishop from 1996 to 2008. Coadjutor bishop from 2008 to 2009. First bishop born in Hong Kong. Elevated to cardinal on 18 February 2012. Retired on 1 August 2017, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Apostolic administrator from 2019 to 2021 following the death of his successor, Michael Yeung.	[35][36][37][38]
2017	2019	Michael Yeung	Auxiliary bishop from 2014 to 2016. Coadjutor bishop from 2016 to 2017. Died on 3 January 2019.	[39][40]
2021	present	Stephen Chow, SJ‡	Appointed on 17 May 2021. Elevated to cardinal on 30 September 2023.	[9][41][42]

Notes

1. Between Joset's death and Feliciani's appointment, the latter served as pro-Apostolic Prefect from 1842 until 1847,^[14] followed by Bishop Théodore-Augustin Forcade, MEP (1847–50).^[15]
2. Between Ambrosi's death and Raimondi's appointment, the latter served as pro-Apostolic Prefect.^[17]
3. Between Pozzoni's death and Valtorta's appointment, Fr. Giovanni Spada, PIME served as vicar capitular.^[21]
4. Between Valtorta's death and Bianchi's installation, Fr. Antonius Riganti, PIME served as vicar capitular.^[24]
5. Under the Code of Canon Law, the coadjutor bishop has the right of succession (cum jure successionis) upon the death, retirement or resignation of the diocesan bishop he is assisting.^[25][26]
6. Between Hsu's death and Lei's appointment, the latter served as vicar capitular.^[28]
7. Between Lei's death and Wu's consecration on 25 July 1975, Fr. Gabriel Lam served as vicar capitular.^[30]

References

General

• "Prefects Apostolic, Vicars Apostolic and Diocesan Bishops of Hong Kong". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
• "The Succession Line". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Retrieved 13 January 2019.

Specific

1. Ha, Louis (Winter 2016). "Hong Kong and the Chinese Catholic Hierarchy". Tripod. 36 (183). Translated by Lam, Anthony. Hong Kong: Holy Spirit Study Centre. Archived from the original on 8 September 2019. [W]hen the Chinese Catholic hierarchy came under attack on mainland China, although Hong Kong was a suffragan diocese of the Canton Archdiocese, it was not involved in those problems. Today, Hong Kong does not belong to any ecclesiastical province, nor to any Bishops' Conference. It is an entity belonging directly to the Holy See.
2. Sainsbury, Michael (19 October 2018). "Beijing targets Hong Kong media, is church next?". La Croix. Paris. Archived from the original on 19 October 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2020. [Hong Kong] is a de jure suffragan diocese under the Archdiocese of Guangzhou in South China but in practice it also reports to Rome.
3. "China Catholic bishops: Historic deal with Vatican reached". BBC News. BBC. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
4. Levine, Steven (8 October 1998). "Hong Kong's Return To China". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
5. "Bishop Michael Yeung Takes Over the Reins – Hong Kong Diocese Change of Guard". O Clarim. Macau. 11 August 2017. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
6. "Leading Events in 1840s". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 30 November 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
7. Barrett, William E. (15 July 2014). The Red Lacquered Gate: The early days of the Columban Fathers and the courage and faith of its founder, Fr. Edward Galvin. Xlibris Corporation. p. 348. ISBN 9781499027273.
8. "Erection of the Diocese of Chengde" (PDF). Holy See Press Office. Holy See. 22 September 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
9. Wong, Wynna (30 September 2023). "Hong Kong's top Catholic priest Stephen Chow made a cardinal by Pope Francis, calling role important bridge between 'China and universal church'". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
10. "Religion and Custom". Hong Kong Yearbook 2003. Government of Hong Kong. 2003. Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
11. Criveller, Gianni (30 April 2009). "Bishop John Tong of Hong Kong, 'man of dialogue,' but with 'non-negotiable principles'". AsiaNews. Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
12. Su, Xinqi (11 January 2019). "Top officials join Hong Kong Catholics in packed cathedral for Bishop Michael Yeung's funeral mass". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
13. Stanford, Peter (27 September 2002). "Obituary: Cardinal John Baptist Wu". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
14. "Rev. Feliciani, Antonio OFM". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
15. "Bishop Forcade, Theodore Augustin MEP". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
16. "Rev. Joset, Theodore". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
17. "Bishop Raimondi, Giovanni Timoleone MEM". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
18. "Rev. Ambrosi, Luigi". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 14 January 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
19. "Bishop Piazzoli, Luigi MEM". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
20. "The ashes of two former PIME bishops return to Hong Kong cathedral". AsiaNews. Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions. 7 April 2015. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
21. "Rev. Spada, Giovanni PIME". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
22. "Bishop Pozzoni, Dominico MEM". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
23. "Bishop Valtorta, Enrico PIME". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
24. "Rev. Riganti, Antonius PIME". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
25. Van Hove, A. (1913). "Bishop". In Charles George Herbermann (ed.). The Original Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. Robert Appleton Company. p. 581. Archived from the original on 14 January 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
26. Agnew, Paddy; McGarry, Patsy (5 May 2012). "Vatican may appoint bishop to aid Brady". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
27. "Bishop Bianchi, Lorenzo PIME". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
28. "Bishop Lei, Wang-Kei Peter". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
29. "Bishop Hsu, Chen-Ping Francis Xavier". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
30. "Rev. Lam, Cheuk-Wai Gabriel". Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Archived from the original on 6 August 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
31. "Wu Cheng-chung Card. John Baptist". Holy See Press Office. Holy See. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
32. "Zen Ze-kiun Card. Joseph, S.D.B." Holy See Press Office. Holy See. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
33. Bunson, Matthew E. (21 February 2018). "Cardinal Joseph Zen a Longtime, Vocal Critic of China's Policies". National Catholic Register. Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
34. Leung, Ambrose (14 February 2006). "Bishop Zen poised to become cardinal". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
35. "Tong Hon Card. John". Holy See Press Office. Holy See. Archived from the original on 12 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
36. "Cardinal Zen resigns as head of diocese of Hong Kong". AsiaNews. Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions. 15 April 2009. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
37. "Bishop Tong joins Zen as HK cardinal". South China Morning Post. 7 January 2012. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
38. Zhao, Shirley; Ng, Kang-chung (7 January 2019). "Shock as Vatican brings Cardinal John Tong out of retirement to be acting head of Hong Kong diocese after death of bishop – blocking Occupy supporter Joseph Ha Chi-shing". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
39. Mok, Danny; Cheung, Tony (1 August 2017). "Michael Yeung named new Hong Kong Catholic leader as John Tong retires". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
40. Cheung, Tony; Mok, Danny; Cheung, Elizabeth (3 January 2019). "Hong Kong Catholics mourn their leader Michael Yeung Ming-cheung who died at age 73". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
41. "Chow Sau-yan Card. Stephen, S.I." Holy See Press Office. Holy See. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
42. "Resignations and Appointments". Holy See Press Office. Holy See. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.