Underground bishop, priest detained, missing in China

Published: 2004-06-15

HONG KONG (CNS) -- A bishop and a priest of the underground church in Hebei, China, have been reported missing. Catholic sources in Hebei said Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding had been taken away by religious affairs officials on June 13, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. A source said religious affairs officials gave no reason as to why they arrested Bishop Jia, 69, at a church in Jinzhou. "It's like that every time. Officials do not say where to and for how long," the source said. Bishop Jia was taken away earlier this year when he was kept alone inside a guesthouse during Holy Week. Another source said Trappist Father Placid Pei Ronggui, of the Zhengding Diocese, was also picked up June 13. The whereabouts of the two men were unknown as of June 15, the source said.

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