Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung, the fifth bishop of the Hong Kong Diocese, died Monday morning in a hospital at the age of 77 following a long period of illness.
He died of a cancer at 7:05 am local time, said a spokesman for the church.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa mourned the death of Cardinal Chan, praising that he had devoted his life to the Catholic Diocese.
"He had worked tirelessly to serve the Catholic community and make great contribution to the well-being of Hong Kong people. On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the Catholic community," Tung said.
The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong has more than 230,000 followers.
(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2002)
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