1940 - Vincent Lebbe

June 1940

Chongqing

Vincent Lebbe.

Vincent Lebbe is remembered in the annals of the Chinese Catholic Church as a controversial figure who was not afraid to follow his convictions, even when he was strongly opposed. Born in Belgium in 1872, Lebbe studied for the priesthood and at the age of 26 he went to China as a Vincentian missionary. Based in Sichuan Province and in the present-day Chongqing Municipality, Lebbe saw what he considered the shortcoming of missionary work and set himself on a course to bring reform. His main concerns centred on the overpowering role of foreign priests in China and the subsequent lack of responsibility given to Chinese priests. Lebbe believed the situation had to radically change before the Church in China would experience significant spiritual and numerical growth. Lebbe was one to lead by example. To show his solidarity with the Chinese, he renounced his Belgian citizenship so that his friends would no longer view him as a superior foreigner. Lebbe chose to submit himself under a Chinese bishop, and in the daily running of the church he only lent a helping hand, allowing the Chinese priests to make all important decisions.

Lebbe strongly criticized Catholics based in the areas of China under the control of colonial powers, especially those who enjoyed the protective rights afforded by Chinese governments. Many were stunned by his sharp words, and rebuffed Lebbe with equal venom. Some French missionaries thought Lebbe was deranged for daring to question their authority, but the Chinese Christians, on the whole, loved Lebbe because they saw he was on their side and was willing to speak out for them. When the Vatican ordained the first six Chinese bishops, much of the credit went to Vincent Lebbe and his dogged determination to see the Chinese Church run by Chinese leaders.

The year 1920 found Lebbe in Tianjin, protesting strongly against the church’s use of unequal treaties. This infuriated the mission community, and they arranged for him to be sent back to Europe. Lebbe was aggrieved at the treatment given him, but soon made plans to return to China.

When the Japanese invaded China, Lebbe launched his most audacious and most strongly criticized initiative. He gathered a group of 300 Christian volunteers and formed them into the Medical Company of the Chinese Third Army, 12th Division. Lebbe believed it would be an outrageous disgrace if the Catholics stood by and let others defend China against the Japanese threat. By taking this stand with the Nationalists, however, Vincent Lebbe and the other members of the Medical Company became targets of both the Japanese and the Communists.

Lebbe, was captured by Communist guerrillas in southern Shanxi Province in 1940, and held for six weeks in the Taihan Mountains. Although he was later released after the Nationalists staged a rescue, he had been forced to watch the executions of numerous Chinese priests and believers. Most of them were buried alive by the spiteful and heartless Communists. Making his way back to Sichuan, the Belgian grew progressively more ill. He entered the hospital at Chongqing and perished in June 1940 from the mistreatment he had received at the hands of the Reds. The six weeks of evil Lebbe had spent as a prisoner deeply affected him, and he seemed to die more from the horror of what he had experienced than from his physical injuries. Some of his last words were: “The Chinese Communists are not Chinese. The Chinese Communists are not men. The Chinese Communists are living devils.”[1]

Vincent Lebbe was 68-years-old at the time of his death. He had been a priest in China for 42 years. The wisdom of his efforts to see the Chinese Church led by the Chinese was soon evident. When widespread persecution came in the mid-1950s, many churches that had relied on foreign leadership and funds soon collapsed, while those that had already reverted to local leadership fared much better.