A Catholic bishop in China was reported missing last week while his secretary was also reported detained by authorities to prevent them from attending a funeral of an elderly priest.
A report on AsiaNews said Chinese authorities made Bishop Shao Zhumin of Wenzhou (Zhejiang) “disappear” to prevent him from attending the funeral of Father Chen Nailiang.
Father Chen was a member of the “underground” Church in the country who died on January 29 at the age of 90.
Bishop Shao was reported to have been taken by authorities with his secretary, Father Jiang Sunian.
The report said Bishop Shao “has long been a victim” of state persecutions. “It is not the first time that the police have arrested him or detained him for some time,” added the report.
The prelate was reported to have been arrested on April 7 last year “to prevent him from celebrating Holy Week functions, especially the Chrism Mass.”
On October 25, 2021, the police also took Bishop Shao for “tourism” purposes and was brought home after two weeks.
Between August 23 and October 8, 2016, policemen also took the bishop and the Father Jiang for “a trip” to prevent them from attending the funeral of Bishop Zhu Weifang, the predecessor of Bishop Shao.
Bishop Shao has been recognized by the Vatican, but not by the Chinese Communist Party, which claims to exercise control over religious activities in the country.
AsiaNews noted that the signing in 2018 and the renewal in October 2020 and 2022 of the agreement between China and the Vatican on the ordination of bishops did not prevent “government repression” of Chinese Catholics.
Born in 1963, Bishop Shao Zhumin was ordained a priest in 1989. In 2011, he was appointed coadjutor bishop of Yongjia.
His appointment was, however, not accepted by the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
Detentions of underground clergy in China are common, as a means of pressuring them to join the state-run Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
Earlier in 2021, Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu of Xinxiang disappeared for months after Chinese officials detained him along with other clergy and seminarians opposed to joining the state-run church.
