church leader Thursday July 7, news emerged that another influential underground Roman Catholic Bishop was arrested by government officials. The US-based human rights watchdog Cardinal Kung Foundation said it has learned that 70-year old Bishop Julius Jia Zhi Guo was detained again after 5 previous arrests and two decades of spending time in jail and under strict surveillance.
It said Bishop Jia was detained by government officials at his house of the Diocese of Zheng Ding in Hebei Province, Monday July 4 after being notified that "he was being taken away by the government officials to visit a physician." Howeber "Bishop Jia is not sick at present and there is no need for him to visit a physician. We have no idea how long Bishop Jia will be taken away," the Cardinal Kung Foundation said.
PROSECUTED BY AUTHORITIES
Bishop was ordained a bishop in 1980 and has been prosecuted by authorities for his refusal to function only within the government allowed churches and his active Christian activities, human rights watchers say.
"He takes care of approximately 100 handicapped orphans in his house. This is the sixth time that Bishop Jia was arrested since January 2004," the organization claimed.
The first arrest was April 5, 2004 when "a car with four government security policemen suddenly appeared at the bishop’s residence and took him away without explanation.
The second arrest was September 9, 2004 when Bishop Jia was forced by two security personnel to take a tour for three days to Wentang Township in Pingshan County. Adding insult to injury, they forced the bishop to pay for the hotel and meal expenses, including for those government officials who watched over him," the organization recalled.
THIRD ARREST
"The third arrest was September 30, 2004 when Bishop Jia was forcibly taken away by security personnel of hijiazhung district. The arrests on December 14, 2004 and January 5, 2005 were Bishop Jia’s fourth and arrests," it added.
"The spirit of the Olympic Games is being so downgraded by their coexistence with the evil spirit of religious persecutions in China," said Joseph Kung, the President of the Cardinal Kung Foundation. "The noble name of “Olympic” is being severely tarnished by its association with religious persecutions and human rights violations in China who is hosting the 2008 Olympic Games. This is about the time for the Olympic Committee to consider canceling the Games in China in order to preserve their good name and spirit.”
News of the latest arrest comes while in Beijing a court was due to begin a trial Thursday, July 7 against prominent house church Pastor Cai Zhuohua, his wife Xiao Yunfei and two other family members for printing 200,000 Bibles and other Christian literature.
"ILLEGAL BUSINESS"
"According to a copy of the prosecution papers…Pastor Cai, his wife Ms. Xiao Yunfei and her brother will be prosecuted" on [charges] of "illegal business management and for allegedly printing over 200,000 copies of Christian literature," said human rights group Christian Aid Association (CAA).
Cai’s lawyer, Gao Zhisheng, was reportedly not optimistic about the verdict for the three detainees. "It is impossible for them to be found innocent, but I have confidence to strive for lighter sentences," Mr Gao reportedly told the French news agency AFP.
"The books in no way were going to enter the market, they were to be given away free of charge to the church members," he added.
NATIONWIDE CRACKDOWN
News of the highly charged trial comes just a little more than a week after CAA reported from China "that a nationwide campaign against unregistered house churches is underway" and that "hundreds" of Christians have been detained." CAA said on June 29 that "numerous house churches" were raided in recent weeks, and that "hundreds were arrested and many are still in prison."
The term ‘house churches’ refers to millions of Christians who rights groups say are forced to hold underground meetings because they refuse to worship in the Communist government-led churches. (With Stefan J. Bos, BosNewsLife Research and reports from China).
