9-June-2005 -- Catholic World News Brief

CATHOLICS DENOUNCE PERSECUTION IN CHINESE PROVINCE

Beijing, Jun. 09 (CWNews.com) - Catholics of the underground Church in China's Hebei province have sent a letter of complaint to the AsiaNews service, denouncing a campaign of persecution against the Church by the religious-affairs department in their province.

The complaint charges that authorities in Hebei are undermining efforts by China's President Hu Jintao to build a "harmonious society," with an aggressive campaign against Catholic leaders. The underground Catholics point to several recent actions against the Church, including the arrest of priests who were participating in a spiritual retreat, and the solitary confinement of Bishop Jia Zhiguo during the period between the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI. The Hebei province surrounds Beijing, and has the highest concentration of Catholics in China. According to AsiaNews, there are 8 bishops and 13 priests imprisoned, isolated, or missing in the province.

The Chinese Catholics' protest names Wang Zhenguo, a local director of religious affairs, as the prime instigator in a persecution. But the letter says that his campaign is supported by other provincial officials with "a mindset still stuck in the age of the Cultural Revolution."