Chinese Bishop freed after 10 years
this good news is from Zenit;
Chinese Bishop Freed After 10 Years
Seminary Rector Arrested in 1996
BAODING, China, AUG. 27, 2006 (Zenit.org).- After a decade of confinement, the Chinese authorities released Auxiliary Bishop Francis An Shuxin of Baoding, in Hebei province.
The prelate, 57, was released Thursday because he accepted recognition by the government, but without registering with the Patriotic Association, reported AsiaNews.
In China, the government allows religious practice only with known personnel and in places registered with the Religious Affairs Bureau and under the control of the Patriotic Association. Officials see the "underground" Catholic Church as obeying the Pope directly.
The bishop was arrested in May 1996 during a raid on the underground seminary of Baoding, of which he was rector, by order of then-President Jiang Zemin.
The seminary was then disbanded, and priests on the formation team were arrested.
The U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation also reported Bishop Shuxin's release in a communiqué sent to ZENIT.
According to the note, the only time the bishop was seen during his detention was in 2000, when the police allowed him to visit his elderly mother to mark the Chinese New Year.
He had told her "I will see you in heaven," said the foundation.
AsiaNews reported that the bishop said that he had been "treated well" throughout these years, though his movements were restricted.
At least six underground bishops of Hebei have disappeared, among them Bishop James Su Zhimin, 73, of Baoding.
Only one other bishop has been recognized by the government without registering with the Patriotic Association -- Bishop Lucas Li Jingfeng of Shaanxi.
He was one of the four bishops invited by Benedict XVI to the Synod on the Eucharist in 2005. The Chinese government did not allow any of the bishops to attend.
Hebei is the Chinese region with the greatest concentration of Catholics, numbering over 1.5 million, most of whom belong to the underground Church.
ZE06082704
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Chinese Bishop Freed After 10 Years
Seminary Rector Arrested in 1996
BAODING, China, AUG. 27, 2006 (Zenit.org).- After a decade of confinement, the Chinese authorities released Auxiliary Bishop Francis An Shuxin of Baoding, in Hebei province.
The prelate, 57, was released Thursday because he accepted recognition by the government, but without registering with the Patriotic Association, reported AsiaNews.
In China, the government allows religious practice only with known personnel and in places registered with the Religious Affairs Bureau and under the control of the Patriotic Association. Officials see the "underground" Catholic Church as obeying the Pope directly.
The bishop was arrested in May 1996 during a raid on the underground seminary of Baoding, of which he was rector, by order of then-President Jiang Zemin.
The seminary was then disbanded, and priests on the formation team were arrested.
The U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation also reported Bishop Shuxin's release in a communiqué sent to ZENIT.
According to the note, the only time the bishop was seen during his detention was in 2000, when the police allowed him to visit his elderly mother to mark the Chinese New Year.
He had told her "I will see you in heaven," said the foundation.
AsiaNews reported that the bishop said that he had been "treated well" throughout these years, though his movements were restricted.
At least six underground bishops of Hebei have disappeared, among them Bishop James Su Zhimin, 73, of Baoding.
Only one other bishop has been recognized by the government without registering with the Patriotic Association -- Bishop Lucas Li Jingfeng of Shaanxi.
He was one of the four bishops invited by Benedict XVI to the Synod on the Eucharist in 2005. The Chinese government did not allow any of the bishops to attend.
Hebei is the Chinese region with the greatest concentration of Catholics, numbering over 1.5 million, most of whom belong to the underground Church.
ZE06082704
email this article
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