Archdiocese of Kunming
The Archdiocese of Kunming is an archdiocese located in the city of Kunming, provincial capital of Yunnan, southwestern China.
Overview
The Archdiocese has not had a legitimate, Vatican-appointed archbishop since 1952, when French Archbishop was expelled from China in the aftermath of the Chinese Communist Revolution.The government of the People's Republic of China installed Father Kong Lingzhong as archbishop in 1962 and Father Joseph Ma Yinglin as archbishop in 2006. Neither government appointment is considered legitimate by the Vatican since they were not appointed by the papacy.
In 2000, the Vatican appointed Lawrence Zhang Wen-Chang as Apostolic Administrator of Kunming. He served until his death in 2012.
History
The first Catholics in Yunnan were refugees fleeing from the perpetrated by Zhang Xianzhong in the 1640s. In 1658, a significant number of Catholics retreated to Kunming with the Yongli Emperor, whose family and court were converted to Catholicism by the German Jesuit Andreas Xavier Koffler. After the emperor's death, most of the Catholics settled in Kunming.- 1687: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Kwangtung-Kwangsi-Yunnan from the Apostolic Vicariate of Fokien
- 1696: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Yunnan
- 1715: Suppressed to the Apostolic Vicariate of Szechwan
- August 28, 1840: Restored as Apostolic Vicariate of Yunnan from the Apostolic Vicariate of Szechwan
- December 8, 1924: Renamed as Apostolic Vicariate of Yunnanfu
- April 11, 1946: Promoted as Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kunming
Bishops
; Vicar Apostolic of Kwangtung-Kwangsi-Yunnan; Vicars Apostolic of Yunnan
- Philibert LeBlanc, M.E.P.
- Joachim-Enjobert de Martiliat, M.E.P.
- Suppressed, remained dependent upon the Apostolic Vicariate of Szechwan
- Joseph Ponsot, M.E.P.
- Jean-Joseph Fenouil, M.E.P.
- , M.E.P.
- Georges-Marie de Jonghe d'Ardoye, M.E.P.
- , M.E.P.
- , M.E.P.
- Alexandre-Joseph-Charles Derouineau, M.E.P.
- Louis He Dezong, Apostolic Administrator Uncanonical, i.e. without papal mandate:
- Lawrence Zhang Wen-Chang, Apostolic Administrator
- ''Uncanonical, i.e. without papal mandate: Joseph Ma Yinglin ''