STAMFORD, Connecticut, MARCH 25, 2002 (Zenit.org).- Bishop Jia Zhiguo, the underground Catholic prelate of Zhengdiing, Hebei, was arrested last week, the U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation reported.
The foundation said it had no word on his whereabouts. Jia Zhiguo, 67, was ordained a bishop in 1980. He was previously in prison for about 20 years, and has been under strict surveillance for years.
Joseph Kung, president of the Cardinal Kung Foundation, explained in a press statement: "At a time when China declared its commitment to combat terror, it creates terror among its own religious believers."
"At the joint press conference of President Bush and President Zheng Zhimin in Beijing recently, President Zheng stated that religious freedom in China is guaranteed by China's Constitution," Kung emphasized. "President Zhang further stated that those clergy that were arrested were [found to] ... have broken the law. This is obviously not true."
ZENIT - The World Seen from Rome
25. mars 2002