Cardinal Wu's condition serious in cancer battle

The head of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese, Cardinal John Baptist Wu Cheng-chung, is in the final stages of myeloma or bone marrow cancer, the Church said yesterday.

Bishop Joseph Zen Ze-kiun yesterday described Cardinal Wu's condition as 'very serious'. But the bishop, who is in line to succeed Cardinal Wu, said he did not want to talk about the succession as long as Cardinal Wu was alive.

'He is in pain, but he is conscious,' he said. 'He can still advise us on the Church matters. I really do not want to talk about succession at the moment, it is not good to the patient.'

Bishop Zen said Cardinal Wu had been fighting the disease for six years. 'We know that the disease is difficult to cure and his condition is getting worse.'

Cardinal Wu's doctor, Professor Raymond Liang Hin-suen who is the chair of haemology and oncology at the University of Hong Kong, yesterday refused to discuss the cardinal's condition.

The diocese's weekly newspaper, Kung Kao Po, reported that more than 200 followers joined a prayer session for Cardinal Wu last Sunday at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Central.

During the prayers, Father Edward Yu said he met Cardinal Wu in Taiwan 27 years ago when the cardinal was still considering whether to take up the appointment to lead the Hong Kong Diocese. He found Cardinal Wu kind and humble.