Frédéric-Vincent Lebbe

Father Frédéric-Vincent Lebbe was a Roman Catholic missionary to China whose advocacy contributed to Pope Pius XI's appointment of the first native Chinese bishops of modern times. Born in Belgium, he chose to become a Chinese citizen at a time when missionaries, like all Westerners, enjoyed legal privileges in China, including immunity from Chinese law. Lebbe advocated for the indigenization of the Catholic Church in China.