WENZHOU, China (LifeSiteNews) — In what has become almost a regular occurrence, Chinese authorities have abducted the Catholic bishop of Wenzhou, a member of the underground church, and taken him “on vacation.”
AsiaNews reported that Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin, the Vatican-approved bishop of Wenzhou in eastern China, was taken away by the Chinese authorities October 25. The news had come from “sources on the ground,” wrote AsiaNews.
“Pray that the Lord will give him confidence and courage, that he will not be demoralized by what happened; pray also that he will remain healthy and whole, under the guidance of Christ, so that he may return to us as soon as possible to shepherd his flock; let us pray together,” read a message by Chinese Catholics.
UCA News reported that authorities stated Shao was being taken away for “tourism.”
The 58-year-old Shao was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Yongjia (Wenzhou) in 2011, with a Papal Mandate. He was then made bishop of the diocese in 2016 following the death of incumbent Bishop Vincent Zhu Wei-Fang.
Since then, Shao has been taken away by the authorities multiple times, due to his opposition to the state-approved church — the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association (CCPA) — which does not recognize him.
The first abduction took place in 2016, meaning that Bishop Shao was unable to attend the funeral of his predecessor. In 2017, Shao was once more taken by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities, and only released after seven months, after a campaign of prayer and fasting among Chinese Catholics, and the intervention of the German ambassador to China.
His latest arrest makes at least six such times that the underground bishop has been taken by the CCP. On all such “vacations,” the CCP reportedly subject him to “brainwashing” sessions, in an attempt to force him to accept the state-approved church.
The timing of his arrests has been “almost scientific,” wrote AsiaNews. “They always occur on the eve of important periods in the life of the Catholic communities: Christmas, Easter, the Assumption and now November, the month of prayer for the dead (in Chinese tradition, Qingming, the remembrance of the ancestors, is instead celebrated in spring).”
During November, Catholics in the region traditionally visit the grave of Bishop James Lin Xili, the first local bishop and a member of the underground church, who was also subject to arrest and supervision by the CCP until his death in 2009. In order to prevent this public devotion, AsiaNews reported that CCP authorities have previously blockaded the cemetery with iron barriers, in order to prevent the faithful from gathering.
In 2018, AsiaNews noted that despite being part of the underground church, Bishop Shao was also “appreciated” by Catholics in the state-approved church. Over 80,000 of the 130,000 Catholics in Wenzhou are part of the underground church. The province had only “70 priests” between the underground and state-approved church.
Even in the state-approved church, there are still restrictions as the police prevent children under 18 years of age from attending church on Sundays.
Catholics guilty by association as Vatican-China deal aids persecution
AsiaNews also reported that members of the lay faithful were being penalized for their support of Bishop Shao. On March 16, a 56-year-old man, Huang Ruixun, had offered his private chapel in his own residence to the bishop to use.
Bishop Shao offered Mass and “about twenty faithful” attended, resulting in Huang being served a fine of “200 thousand yuan,” or around $31,200.
Huang was also charged with hosting the bishop “for illegal religious activities, also providing him with lunch, a rest room, etc.”
The persecution of Catholics in China has continued unabated following, and arguably assisted by, the Vatican’s secretive deal with Communist China.
The deal allegedly recognizes the state-approved church and allows the CCP to appoint the bishops. The Pope apparently maintains a veto power, although in practice it is the CCP which has control. It also allegedly allows for the removal of legitimate bishops to be replaced by CCP-approved bishops.
The actual precise terms of the deal, however, remain a closely guarded secret, which has caused confusion amongst faithful clergy, as noted by former Hong Kong bishop Cardinal Joseph Zen in 2018 letter to Pope Francis.
“Some priests have escaped, and some have disappeared because they do not know what to do and are annoyed. The agreement is undisclosed, and they do not know if what officials say is true or not,” wrote the cardinal.
Cardinal Zen revealed the trials of faithful priests, who told Zen “the Holy See does not support them and regards them as trouble, referring to them causing trouble and not supporting unity. This is what makes them most painful.”
Originally drawn up in 2018, the deal was then renewed in October 2020. In comments made to members of the press at the time, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin declared: “As far as the accord is concerned, we are content. There are still many other problems but we never expected the accord to resolve all the problems.”
Cardinal Zen has repeatedly warned of the dangers posed by the Vatican’s accord with Communist China. The cardinal described the Pope’s actions in signing the agreement as “encouraging a schism. You are legitimizing the schismatic church in China.”
Pope Benedict XVI, in his 2007 Letter to Chinese Catholics, attacked the desires of the “State” and “some entities … to place themselves above the Bishops and to guide the life of the ecclesial community,” which “is incompatible with Catholic doctrine.”
“The proposal for a Church that is ‘independent’ of the Holy See, in the religious sphere, is incompatible with Catholic doctrine,” stated Benedict XVI.
Earlier this year, a number of clergy were also arrested by the CCP, with Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu of the Xinxiang Diocese along with ten priests and ten seminarians arrested in May, and Fr. Joseph Liu of the diocese of Mindong arrested in July.
One Chinese Catholic priest, who is not part of the CCP-approved church, told Bitter Winter, “We do not see any positive result of the Vatican agreement. We pray for the Pope every day, but believe he has received false information about China. We will not join the Patriotic Association.”