August 26, 2006 12:38 PM
Aug. 26 (CWNews.com) - A bishop of China's underground Catholic Church has been released after more than 10 years in prison, the US-based Cardinal Kung Foundation reports.
Bishop An Shuxin, an auxiliary of the Baoding diocese in Hebei province, was set free on August 24. He had been arrested in May 1996, in a government raid on the Baoding seminary, where he was rector. Since that time his whereabouts had been unknown.
In what could be a significant step forward for Catholics in China, Bishop An reportedly has received the government's recognition as a bishop, and permission to do pastoral work. The AsiaNews service reports that he accepted the government's recognition, but refused to register with the government-sponsored Catholic Patriotic Association.
The Patriotic Association, which is affiliated with the Communist Party, has sought to establish a Chinese Catholic Church independent of the Holy See. The underground Catholic Church, which maintains loyalty to Rome, has been treated as an illegal organization, and harassment by government forces has been most severe in the Hebei diocese, where the underground Catholic presence is strongest.
The AsiaNews service reports, however, that the stance taken by Bishop An-- accepting the government's recognition but refusing to join forces with the Patriotic Association-- was a solution proposed by Vatican officials in informal talks with the Chinese government. AsiaNews has reported mounting tensions between the Patriotic Association and the Beijing government this year, with the government eventually pressing the Patriotic Association to stop its illicit appointment of new Catholic bishops without Vatican approval.
In reporting Bishop An's release, Joseph Kung of the Cardinal Kung Foundation said that he hoped the move "is not an isolated case, but rather the beginning of the release of many dozens of other Roman Catholic bishops, priests, and faithful." A much broader release of Catholic prisoners of conscience, he said, would "show China’s sincerity about improving its relationships with the Vatican and its human-rights policy.”
There are six other Catholic bishops of the underground Church in Hebei province still in Chinese prisons; in some cases the faithful are not sure whether the prelates are still alive.
Bishop Su Zhimin of the Baoding diocese, where Bishop An served, was arrested in 1997 and his current condition and location are unknown.
Bishop Han Dingsiang of Yong Nian, also in the Hebei province, was arrested in 1999 and his current condition and location are unknown.
Bshop Jian Zhiguo of Zhengding, Hebei, was arrested in June of this year; he has been arrested 9 other times in the past three years. His current status is unknown.
Bishop Shi Enxiang of Yixian, Hebei, was arrested in 2001; his current condition and location are unknown.
Bishop Yao Liang, an auxiliary of the Xiwanzi diocese in Hebei, was arrested in July of this year, and is being held in Zhangjiakou.
Bishop Zhao Zhendong of Xuanhua as arrested in December 2004; his current condition and location are unknown.
