1983 - Francis Zhu Shude

December 28, 1983

Prison, Anhui

Francis Zhu Zhude.

On December 11, 1913, Francis Xavier Zhu Shude entered the world in Shanghai. One of eight brothers, Francis was part of a well-known Catholic family. Both his mother and father were respected for their piety and generosity to the poor.

In 1935 Francis joined the Society of Jesus, finally becoming a priest in 1945 after many years of study. The following year he travelled to France, where he studied at the University of Paris, gaining a doctorate in geography. When Zhu returned to China in October 1949 the whole country was in a state of upheaval. The very same month had seen the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, with Chairman Mao Zedong proclaiming the dawn of a new era from a podium in Tiananmen Square. Many people advised Zhu to remain overseas to keep out of harm’s way, but this was not an option for the man of God. He explained,

“I am a priest, and a priest should live entirely for his flock. So long as Shanghai possesses Catholics in residence, then I must of course go back. Even if Shanghai no longer contains a single Catholic, I shall still return. This is because I am a priest, and I represent Christ and his church. Wherever I am, that is where the church is. I want to stay in Shanghai so as to let the Communist Party know that Catholicism is still in existence.”[1]

He commenced his ministry as parish priest in charge of the Church of Christ the King. The new leaders of China viewed Zhu as a threat. Not only was he a religious minister, but he had received a Western education, which made him especially dangerous in their eyes. On June 15, 1953, Zhu was one of a dozen priests arrested by the police in Shanghai. Five of his brothers, four of them Catholic priests, were also arrested.[2] For seven years Zhu was held without trial or charge, until finally in March 1960 a formal sentence of 20 years imprisonment was handed down, backdated to the time of his arrest.

Even after the sentence, Zhu was still completely baffled as to what crime he had committed. He was known as a man of iron will and unbending principle. Once, during his long prison sentence at the Baihu Prison Labour Camp in Anhui Province, the authorities urged him to admit he had made mistakes and that he would reform himself. In response, Zhu assured his captors that he had nothing to be sorry for, and added that he would continue to baptize any prisoners who came to faith in Christ inside the prison!

In 1973 his prison sentence concluded, but the authorities decided Francis Zhu Shude had not changed, so even though he was technically free he was not allowed to return home, but was forced to remain working at the labour camp. Finally, in 1979, Zhu returned to Shanghai, where he spent most of his time writing spiritual articles for the edification of believers. An insight into Zhu’s humble character can be seen by an account of the morning he returned to Shanghai after 20 years imprisonment. His family were not notified of his release, so he made his own way towards his family home, arriving at five o’clock in the morning. Not wanting to wake his family, Francis

“squatted at the door, putting up with the chill of a Shanghai winter morning. When one of his brothers opened the door on his way to work, he found Francis still squatting on the ground. He went back and woke up everybody. They tried to put an overcoat on Francis but it was too small. They said they would buy a new one, but Francis refused.”[3]

Seeing that the many years of incarceration had not dampened Zhu’s religious fervour, the government again arrested him in November 1980 and sent the humble priest back to prison in Anhui. Despite being in his late 60s, he was again subject to much torture and mistreatment. In the summer of 1982 Zhu was formally sentenced to another 12 years in prison, which, if he had served them, would have meant almost 40 years of his life would have been spent in prison for the sake of the gospel. This never eventuated, however, as on December 28, 1983, Francis Zhu Shude passed from this life to the next, and into the sweet presence of the Lord whom he had steadfastly served his whole life.

1. September 8th Editorial Board, Blessings of the Divine Bounty, 89.
2. Asian Report (No.150, August-September 1984).
3. Ladany, The Catholic Church in China, 94.