Police arrest two underground priests in China's Wenzhou Diocese

Published: 2005-10-28

HONG KONG (CNS) -- Two underground priests in eastern China's Wenzhou Diocese were detained by public security officers after celebrating a Mass to mark the end of the Year of the Eucharist. On Oct. 27, police arrested the Wenzhou vicar general, Father Shao Zhumin, and Father Paul Jiang Sunian, chancellor, reported UCA News, an Asian church news agency based in Thailand. The two priests and five other priests, all of the same underground church community, had celebrated a Mass for about 600 Catholics at Yongqiang parish. After the Mass, Father Shao, some other priests, nuns and lay Catholics went to a restaurant for dinner. Public security officers seized Father Shao when he approached the counter to order food, while the other Catholics waited inside a room, the sources told UCA News Oct. 28. Alerted to the arrest, the lay Catholics quietly escorted the other priests out of the restaurant through a kitchen door to prevent their arrests, the sources said. Father Jiang, who did not join the group for dinner, headed back to his parish, according to the sources, who said public security officers took him into custody when he stopped at a toll booth.

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