Bishop a 'great patriot'

The head of the country's Catholic church, Fu Tieshan, was an "outstanding patriotic religious leader", a senior Chinese religious affairs official said.

In an article published yesterday, State Administration of Religious Affairs director Ye Xiaowen says he was shocked when he heard about Fu's death on Friday, even though he was prepared for the news because the 76-year-old bishop had been suffering from a chronic illness.

Fu was the chairman of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, acting chairman of the Bishops Conference of the Catholic Church of China and bishop of the Beijing Catholic Diocese. He was also a vice-chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.