The Diocese of Wanxian (formerly spelled Wanhsien; ; ), also known as Diocese of Wanzhou, is a Latin Catholic diocese located in Wanzhou District (formerly Wanxian), Chongqing in the ecclesiastical province of Chongqing, in the easternmost part of western China. It was established on August 2, 1929 as the Apostolic Vicariate of Wanhsien for the Mission of Sichuan (Szechwan).
Territory The Diocese of Wanxian covers Wanzhou District () and eight counties in the mountainous area of northern Chongqing, namely, Chengkou, Fengjie, Kaixian, Liangping, Wushan, Wuxi, Yunyang and Zhongxian, totaling approximately 20,000 square kilometers. It is bordered by the Diocese of Shunqing to the west, Diocese of Shinan to the east, Apostolic Prefecture of Xing'anfu to the north, and Archdiocese of Chongqing to the south and southwest.
History
August 2, 1929: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Wanhsien () from the Apostolic Vicariate of Chungking (Chongqing; ) April 11, 1946: Promoted as Diocese of Wanhsien
Special churches Sacred Heart Church at Longbao (), a town located in the suburbs of Wanxian.
Bishops Vicar Apostolic of Wanhsien
(Wang Tse-pu) (December 16, 1929 – April 11, 1946)
Bishop of Wanhsien Francis Xavier Wang Zepu (Wang Tse-pu) (April 11, 1946 – July 3, 1947)
Bishops of Wanxian Matthias Duan Yinming (Tuan In-Min) (June 9, 1949 – January 10, 2001) Joseph Xu Zhixuan (Appointed Coadjutor Bishop July 31, 1989; succeeded as ordinary on Jan 10, 2001; died Dec 8, 2008) Paul He Zeqing (December 13, 2008 – Present)
See also Anglican Diocese of Szechwan
References