Unregistered Catholic Bishop and Two Priests Detained in Hebei Province

December 1, 2005

Public security officers detained an unregistered Catholic bishop and two unregistered priests in Hebei province on November 7 and 8, according to a November 9 report by the Cardinal Kung Foundation (CKF), a U.S. NGO that monitors the religious freedom of Chinese Catholics.

Public security officers detained an unregistered Catholic bishop and two unregistered priests in Hebei province on November 7 and 8, according to a November 9 report by the Cardinal Kung Foundation (CKF), a U.S. NGO that monitors the religious freedom of Chinese Catholics.

On November 8, public security officers again detained Bishop Jia Zhiguo, who leads the Zhengding diocese in Hebei, at his home in Wuqiu village. Bishop Jia is among the leaders of the unregistered Catholic bishops in China, and has been profiled in reports in the Washington Post and the London Telegraph. After detaining Bishop Jia, the security officers reportedly took him to Shijiazhuang, the Hebei provincial capital, for a “study session.” Chinese authorities use such "study sessions" to pressure unregistered Chinese prelates to register with the state-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA). According to the November 9 CKF report, officials have detained Bishop Jia eight times since January 2004.

On November 7, public security officers detained Father Li Suchuan at his parish in Zhoujiazhuang and Father Yang Ermeng at his parish in Zhoutou, both in Dingzhou city. Fathers Li and Yang both serve in Bishop Jia’s diocese and also have refused to register with the CPA. Father Li has been detained previously; on April 27, public security officers detained Li and six other unregistered priests after they attended a religious retreat conducted by Bishop Jia, according to a CKF report dated the same day. AsiaNews reported on May 4 that officials released Father Li several days later.

About 25 percent of China's Catholics live in Hebei province, where they face significant local government persecution. According to a September 27 AsiaNews report, provincial officials currently are conducting a campaign of repression against Catholics in Hebei province. Thirty-one of 41 Catholic prelates in prison, under house arrest, or under strict surveillance on July 31 were from Hebei province, according to the CKF’s list of Prisoners of Religious Conscience for the Underground Catholic Church in China.

Additional information on Bishop Jia Zhiguo and the Catholic Church in China is available in the 2005 CECC Annual Report, Section III(d).