STAMFORD, Connecticut, Sep 17, 02 (CWNews.com) - A Catholic bishop in Communist China was arrested on September 9, according to the US-based Cardinal Kung Foundation.
The foundation reports that Bishop Wei Jingyi, the underground bishop of Qiqihar in Heilongjiang province, was arrested but has no further details. Born in 1958, the bishop was ordained a priest in 1985 and elevated to the bishopric in June 1995. He has previously served time in Chinese labor camps from 1987-1989 and 1990-1992.
The Communist Chinese government requires Christians to worship only in state-controlled associations including the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which eschews any connections to the Vatican or the Pope. Many Catholics worship in churches that, while openly loyal to the government association, secretly pledge allegiance to the Pope.
Joseph Kung, the president of the Cardinal Kung Foundation, said: «Currently, every one of the approximately 50 bishops of the underground Roman Catholic Church is either arrested, under house arrest, under strict surveillance, or in hiding. The persecution of the underground Roman Catholic Church is obviously getting worse.» The arrest comes as the Communist Party prepares for its Party Congress, a high-profile event that comes about every five years and is marked by increased oppression of «subversive» elements in society in the run-up to the gathering.
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17. september 2002