China releases underground bishop jailed before Easter

Published: 2004-04-14

ROME (CNS) -- An underground Chinese bishop, arrested April 5, reportedly was released April 14, as soon as it was clear he would not celebrate Easter publicly, a Rome-based news agency reported. AsiaNews, a news agency run by the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions in Rome, reported that a source in China's Hebei province said Catholics in Zhengding had reported that their bishop, Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo, had been released, although they had not seen him. "The timing of the arrest and the release of the bishop does not surprise us at all," the source said. "We do not understand why the government insists on repeating this useless show every year, arresting our bishop before every important liturgical celebration," the source said.

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