Luo Wenzao


Luo Wenzao

Bishop of Nanjing
refer to caption
Portrait of Luo wearing Qing headwear and a crucifix
Native name
羅文藻
ChurchCatholic Church
DioceseNanjing
In office
  • 1685–1690 (apostolic vicar)
  • 1690–1691 (bishop)
SuccessorGiovanni Francesco Nicolai
Other post(s)Titular Bishop of Basilinopolis
Orders
Ordination1654
Consecration1685
by Bernardino della Chiesa
Personal details
Bornc. 1610s
Fu'an, Fujian, China
Died(1691-02-27)27 February 1691
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese罗文藻
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLuó Wénzǎo
Wade–GilesLo2 Wên2-tsao3
IPA[lwǒ wə̌n.tsàʊ]
Courtesy name
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinRǔdǐng
Art name
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinWǒcún

Luo Wenzao[a] OP (c. 1610s – 27 February 1691) was the first person of Chinese ethnicity to be appointed as a Catholic bishop. After the Qing dynasty proscribed Christianity and banished foreign missionaries in 1665, Luo became the only person in charge of the Catholic missions in China. In 1674, the Holy See first appointed Luo as a bishop. He declined it but accepted his second appointment in 1679. Due to opposition from Dominicans, he was consecrated as the apostolic vicar of Nanjing in 1685 and held the position until his death in 1691.

Although a Dominican himself, Luo held tolerant views that were closer to those of Jesuits in the Chinese Rites controversy. Luo was an active participant in the controversy: he consecrated Chinese priests and argued for the acceptance of Chinese rituals for the sake of preserving the early Catholic Church in China. Luo had studied at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, and in addition to his Chinese heritage, Luo was proficient in Spanish and Latin.

Along with other Dominicans, Luo edited Xingshen Shiyi (Chinese: 形神實義; lit. 'The True Meanings of the Body and the Spirit'), a 1673 Chinese Catholic theology book by Raimundo del Valle. Luo also wrote a Latin epitaph in 1690; he is the namesake of Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages, Taiwan. His date of birth is not known and there remains controversy over his real name.
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