Beijing, Apr. 28 (CWNews.com) - Seven priests of the underground Catholic Church were arrested in China's Heibei province on Wednesday, April 27, the Cardinal Kung Foundation reports.

The priests had been attending a spiritual retreat led by Bishop Jian Zhiguo of the Zhending diocese-- who had been under 24-hour surveillance by police for most of the past month. Bishop Jia had reportedly been warned by Chinese officials that he should not schedule any religious activities.

The tight surveillance of Bishop Jia had begun when the death of Pope John Paul II appeared imminent, and continued through the election of Pope Benedict XVI. The Chinese government has established a history of crackdowns on the underground Church at times when religious sentiments are high-- such as Easter and Christmas-- as well as the time of major national holidays and Communist Party meetings.

The Chinese government had sent a message of condolence to the Vatican on the death of Pope John Paul, and official greetings to the newly elected Pope Benedict, prompting some observers to speculate that the Beijing regime might adopt a more conciliatory line toward the Vatican. At the same time, however, government officials announced that diplomatic recognition of the Holy See could come only if the Vatican broke off ties with Taiwan and agreed to eschew "interference" in internal Chinese affairs.

The Chinese regime allows religious activity only under government control, and Catholics are expected to accept the leadership of the Catholic Patriotic Association. The Vatican's insistence on naming bishops is viewed by Beijing as "interference" with this state-sponsored body.