China Detains Underground Catholic Bishop: Report

newsmax.com ^ | August 25, 2008 | staff

[kellynla]

BEIJING — Security agents detained an elderly bishop of an underground Catholic church in northern China hours before the closing of the Olympic Games, a U.S.-based group said Monday.

Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo, 73, of Zhengding, a city in northern Hebei province, was taken by six government officials from his cathedral on Sunday morning, the Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement.

The independent foundation, which aims to promote the Roman Catholic Church in China, said it did not know where or why Jia was being detained.

A woman who answered the phone at the city's public security bureau said she had not heard about the case, as did a man at the office of Catholic and Christian affairs of Hebei's religious bureau. He gave only his surname, Zhang, as is common with Chinese officials.

"We will not easily arrest people if they don't break any law," Zhang said.

Jia has been repeatedly detained by security forces in China, which broke ties with the Vatican in 1951 and demands that Catholics worship only in government-controlled churches. Such churches recognize the pope as a spiritual leader but appoint their own priests and bishops.

Millions remain loyal to the pope and worship in secret, but priests and members of their congregations are frequently detained and harassed.

Pope Benedict XVI sent a special letter to Catholics in China last year that praised the underground church but urged the faithful to reconcile with followers of the official church. On the eve of the Beijing Olympics, the pope sent greetings to the Chinese people and said he hoped the games would offer an example of coexistence among people from different countries.

[kellynla]

"Security agents detained an elderly bishop of an underground Catholic church in northern China hours before the closing of the Olympic Games"

China back to normal...

[kellynla]

ping

[Always Right]

Oh, the joys of communism. Most liberals in this country wish they could do the same, but will settle for the next best thing, hate crimes and fairness doctrine.