Two Chinese priests share their experience in terrible conditions

The B.C. Catholic



“Come out! Come out!” Screams roused Matthew Koo, now Msgr. Matthew Koo, from his bed in Xujiahui Seminary in Shanghai.

He remembers the sound of fists pounding on the doors, the clanking of machine guns, and the barking of officers rounding up more than 150 seminarians and six Jesuit priests on a September morning in 1955.

“I was arrested and detained in a labour camp because I had joined the Legion of Mary,” Msgr. Koo told The B.C. Catholic. He shared his story alongside Father Matthew Chu, SJ, at the John Paul II Pastoral Centre recently.

The two of them, arrested for being part of a counter-revolutionary organization, Catholics, spent 27 years in labour camps. Father Chu spoke of his experience in Cantonese, while Msgr. Koo spoke in English.

“The government wanted me to ‘recognize’ my crime,” recalled Msgr. Koo. “They used every way to change my mind.” He was left in a cell for six months before even being made aware of the charges against him, all of which related to being a Catholic and a member of the Legion of Mary.

He was beaten for praying in his cell, and when fed, “I had to eat like a dog.”

His arms were tied behind his back, forcing him to get on his knees and lean forward to eat what food was given to him.

He was transferred to a prison in the Tilanqiao district, where the worst offenders were kept, including rapists, murderers, and Catholics. Msgr. Koo was kept in a small cell with several other men before being shipped to labour camps for 19 years.

“Only with endurance and perseverance could I bear the experience,” he said. “I knew I had done nothing wrong, and I refused to say anything against my conscience.”

After many years of hardship, Msgr. Koo finally completed his sentence and became a “post-prisoner.” “The government tells you your sentence is finished. You’re not a prisoner anymore, but you become a detained employee and receive very little money.”

He was allowed to visit his home every four years, where he continued to learn about the underground Church, and eventually was ordained secretly by the late Bishop Joseph Fan, imprisoned at the same time as him.

Msgr. Koo, now 83, pointed out that while the Chinese government appears to have become more lenient towards Christians, the Church in China still undergoes much hardship. “I see nothing has changed for the Church in China: the religious persecution is still going on. We cannot judge (China) according to its appearance.”

Father Paul Chu, the Chinese-ministry priest at Immaculate Conception Parish in Delta, was awed at the dedication of both Msgr. Koo and Father Matthew Chu to spreading the word of God.

“We marvel at their loyalty to God, even with the loss of freedom and physical hardship. Many others were persecuted, too, but their sharing is enough to inspire us and help us pray more fervently for the suffering Church.”

“We read and hear a lot about persecution (in China), but it is something else to meet someone who has actually gone through that.”