Leo XIV's New Chinese Bishop Composed Hymn to Communist Party

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Leo XIV's New Chinese Bishop Composed Hymn to Communist Party

Leo XIV announced that Honggang Liu, 55, was consecrated a Bishop for the Chinese Diocese of Datong on August 31.

gloria.tv | August 31, 2026

ChinaCatholic.cn admitted today that Liu was elected bishop-designate of Datong on 28 April 2026. Vatican.va wrote today that Leo XIV did not formally appoint him until 10 August. Thus, Liu was selected unilaterally through the Chinese process more than three months before the papal appointment.


Career Cleric of State Church

Liu has been since his seminary time a career cleric of the state-controlled apparatus “Patriotic association”.

He became the state’s diocesan administrator of Datong in March 2005. He effectively administered the same diocese for two decades before becoming its bishop today.

Chinese sources has called him for years the director of the Datong Municipal Catholic Patriotic Association and head of the diocese. Currently he is vice-director of the Shanxi Patriotic Association (provincial-level leadership post).


Raising Chinese Flags in Churches

In October 2018, the Datong Catholic Patriotic Association and diocese participated in the nationwide campaign to raise Chinese flags at Catholic religious sites.

Liu led personally priests, sisters and Catholics at the flag-raising ceremonies while officials attended.

The stated objectives included the strengthening of national consciousness and practicing “socialist core values”.


2018: Datong Catholics Denounce State Pressure

On 26 November 2018, AsiaNews.it published an open letter by eight Catholics of the Diocese of Datong. The title was: “We cannot remain silent on the oppression of our faith.”

The Catholics mentioned that in Liu’s diocese:
- a church cross had been demolished;
- an entire church had been demolished;
- Catholics' freedom to attend gatherings was obstructed;
- large religious gatherings were severely restricted;
- regular celebration of the Eucharist was being restricted;
- they lacked a fixed place for Mass;
- purchasing Bibles/religious books had become difficult;

Liu wrote a reply simply denying the facts as completely fabricated.


Communist Re-Education for Clergy

On 25 June 2021, Liu personally led Datong Catholic clergy on a Communist Party-history education excursion.

They visited the Daqüanshan memorial and the Dongfanghong Museum, studied Mao Zedong's history and Communist revolutionary history.

Furthermore, they viewed Mao badges, quotations, portraits and collected works. The official report says participants wished a greater prosperity for China under the Party's leadership.

To express the sentiments of “all the clergy of the Diocese of Datong,” Liu wrote a poem celebrating the Communist Party's centenary during the excursion.


2023: State Demolition Continues

On 22 February 2023, AsiaNews.it reported that the police had demolished a diocesan building in Datong which had been used as a residence for priests and nuns.

It had stood for approximately 100 years and had the necessary permits.

Datong Catholics circulated messages asking people to pray for the mayor's “unreasonable behaviour” to stop.

AsiaNews explicitly connected the incident to the 2018 open letter, recalling that Datong Catholics had already complained of increasing government oppression.

There is no public protest or condemnation of the demolition by Monsignor Liu.