As Asia News reports, Archbishop Shao Chumin, bishop of Wenzhou in eastern China, has been kidnapped by government officials for the first time. Appointed in 2016, he followed in the footsteps of his bishop predecessor. Lin Xili, who also refused to join the so-called National League of Chinese Catholics, that is, the “official” church under the authority of the Communist Party, which since 2018 – as a result of a secret agreement between China and the Vatican – is also recognized by Pope Francis.

Chinese Catholics pray for a kidnapped bishop

According to the government version, the bishop went on “vacation”, but witnesses to the arrest confirmed to Asia News that party officials took the hierarchy away by going on vacation. “Let us pray that the Lord will give him confidence and courage so that he does not become discouraged by what is happening; special message.

Bishop Shaw had previously been kidnapped and brainwashed in similar circumstances. Usually, arrests are made under the guise of a “holiday” on the eve of some important holiday, as now before Halloween. The Holy See recognizes the hierarchy, but remains an “opportunist” to the authorities of the People’s Republic of China because they do not want to submit to its dictatorship. Earlier, the bishop was kidnapped before Christmas, Easter and Assumption of the Virgin.

According to the tradition of Chinese Catholics, November is a month of exceptionally intense prayers for the dead, which are held in cemeteries and churches, and not only on All Souls’ Day. In recent years, such manifestations of piety have been thwarted by the closure of cemeteries, and this year the authorities decided to kidnap the leader of the Catholic community.

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