6 X7 R" [" @8 X8 T" K v! fChina detains three underground priests, group says9 [+ r9 i9 l% B2 r
Sun Jul 29, 2007 + ~: r. j! M: t6 M7 C: K( L8 N1 Q 0 B. X( p0 v9 J. ]BEIJING (Reuters) - China detained three "underground" Catholic priests unwilling to serve a state-controlled body, a U.S. group has reported, as Beijing and the Vatican press their claims on religious controls.9 Y) B% |3 p5 O6 p1 a! a
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The three men were caught by police in north China's Inner Mongolia region, having fled there from neighboring Hebei province, the Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement emailed late on Saturday.7 m+ h2 \4 F0 s3 `' I. B/ H
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The detentions came as the Vatican and Beijing test their boundaries of authority following a letter on China's Catholics from Pope Benedict. % u5 T# R% ~9 E1 P" V ) F9 J$ J4 V* G8 BChina's 12 million Catholics share the same basic religious beliefs but are politically divided between "above-ground" churches approved by the ruling Communist Party and "underground" churches that reject government ties., H+ U1 t2 { b& ^" j5 b% g2 m. `
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On June 30, Pope Benedict issued a letter that urged reconciliation between the two sides. But he said the church must have the power to run its own affairs, including appointing bishops, possibly with government consultation. ' `, O$ E5 A1 C8 c# g, x! w. Q+ a- M* f3 d
The Chinese government has often rejected such claims as interference in "domestic affairs" but has given no detailed public response to the letter. * a5 N/ q( x7 v. P |! @& S% ?& \; H" b
Parts of Hebei, the priests' home province, are a stronghold of "underground" churches. & l! o) P& t( f- h8 R+ O0 }) f! |! x; u" M6 [6 q! U% F$ Y9 H
The Cardinal Kung Foundation said the three had refused to join the Catholic Patriotic Association, the state-controlled body that seeks to control church affairs. . K' `7 V' w$ Q7 m" r! J5 C/ }6 s3 |" T, }8 c8 V5 n
Plain clothes police detained the priests -- Liang Aijun, Wang Zhong and Gao Jinbao -- on July 24 and they have been transferred to an unknown location, the Foundation said.7 @4 p8 t1 e! R
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"They'd been hiding for quite a while when they were hunted down," the head of the Foundation, Joseph Kung, told Reuters by phone. $ E! T$ `$ ?5 ~2 V9 ?8 m( z! M) y7 q5 {' x6 C2 K' Y
Kung said he did not know if the men have been charged. Another underground priest, Cui Tai, had been detained in Hebei following a minor motorbike accident, he said. ' u$ h3 y. h7 z \4 k/ h- a 6 b8 e/ H U2 q* k8 _% gSometimes "underground" clergy are released after days or weeks; sometimes they are held for much longer./ C% i4 Y+ N' x, p: n2 A) y! j
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The Vatican is waiting to see how China handles the appointment of a new bishop for Beijing, the country's most prominent diocese. 2 X, U& M: J3 N, W7 ]5 v. e$ b$ H8 U- _8 ?4 X: Q+ u5 R' E( @* F7 [
Rome has said a nominee proposed by the state-registered diocese, Father Li Shan, could be acceptable and has urged him to seek papal approval.' t6 g2 V" X/ [( A* e
) {& n4 m% o+ \& P1 i/ IBut an editorial in a Beijing newspaper on Friday said China rejects the Vatican's demand that it stop appointing bishops without papal approval. : ]# u8 ?; X3 W2 u 9 F8 H6 @/ i2 S* S# S7 z1 lThese days, most state-approved bishops have also won Vatican blessing. The Vatican has not had diplomatic ties with Beijing since 1951 and instead recognizes Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China regards as an illegitimate breakaway.
