Thomas Tien Ken-sin
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His Eminence Thomas Tien Ken-hsin S.V.D. |
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| Cardinal, Archbishop of Beijing | |
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| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Archdiocese | Beijing |
| Installed | 1946 |
| Term ended | 24 July 1967 |
| Predecessor | Paul Léon Cornelius Montaigne |
| Other posts | Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria in Via |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 9 June 1918 |
| Consecration | 29 October 1939 |
| Created Cardinal | 18 February 1946 by Pius XII |
| Rank | Cardinal-Priest |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 24, 1890 Chantsui, Yanggu China |
| Died | July 24, 1967 (aged 76) Taipei Taiwan |
| Buried | Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Taipei |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Parents | Kilian Tien Ken-sin Maria Yang |
| Previous post |
Prefect of Yangku (1934-1939) Vicar Apostolic of Yangku (1939-1942) Vicar Apostolic of Qingdao (1942-1946) Bishop of Qingdao (1946) |
| Coat of arms |  |
Thomas Tien Ken-sin, SVD (田耕莘; Hanyu pinyin: Tián Gēngxīn) (October 24, 1890—July 24, 1967) was a Chinese Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and chair of Fu Jen Catholic University. He served as Archbishop of Peking from 1946 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946 by Pope Pius XII.
For centuries, access to the people of China was difficult for the Catholic Church, because as a Church, she did not recognize local Confucian customs of honouring deceased family members. To the Chinese, this was an ancient ritual, to the Holy See, it was a religious exercise, which conflicted with Catholic dogma. As a result of this and its foreign origin, the Church encountered much resistance in China. Within month of his election, Pope Pius XII issued a dramatic change in policies. On December 8, 1939, the Sacred Congregation of the Propagation of Faith issued at his request new instruction by which Chinese customs were considered not superstitious, but an honourable way of showing esteem for one's relatives and therefore permitted by Catholic Christians. The Government of the Republic of China established diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 1943, within a short interval. The Papal degree changed the ecclesiastical situation in China in an almost revolutionary way. As the Church began to flourish, Pius elevated China's status within the Church, established a local ecclesiastical hierarchy, and received the Archbishop of Peking, Thomas Tien Ken-sin SVD, into the College of Cardinals.
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