News Archive China CHINA'S ANTI-CANONIZATION CRACKDOWN ROME, Oct. 3, 00 (CWNews.com/Fides) - China's Communist government has launched an anti-Catholic campaign following their protests over the Pope's canonization of 120 Chinese martyrs on Sunday. According to sources in China, the government has used various tactics including brain-washing for official bishops and priests, threats against unofficial clergy, and a flood of articles in major newspapers. The anti-canonization campaign was launched by Beijing against the proclamation as the first 87 native Chinese saints and 33 missionaries, held up by Pope John Paul II during the October 1 ceremony as "examples of courage and coherence" for the universal Church, and an "honor for the noble Chinese nation." The Communist Chinese government requires Christians to worship only in state-controlled associations including the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, which eschews any connections to the Vatican or the Pope. Many Catholics worship in illegal, underground churches following only bishops appointed by the Pope. The Hong Kong-based UCA News says various official bishops and priests-- who asked not to be named-- said they had been pressured by the government to avoid speaking publicly about the canonization during Masses on Sunday. One priest said officials even attended his Mass apparently to monitor what he said. A bishop in eastern China also said that nothing about the canonization could be mentioned at Masses there because of the government ban. The bishop said government officials from Beijing came to hold meetings with local Church leaders on the issue. Another bishop in northwestern China said officials asked that his diocese's clergy attend a meeting later in the week, probably to condemn the canonization. Also in northern China, meetings for bishops and priests with Religious Affairs Bureau officials have been scheduled. Among secret exceptions to the black-out were an official priest in northeastern China who did mention the canonization and the feast of St Therese of Lisieux during his homily, and in another diocese in the northeast where the clergy celebrated Mass in honor of China's saints, but secretly late at night. Many dioceses in China have churches and chapels dedicated to the martyrs canonized Sunday. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post said that the Church in Hong Kong was also pressured to play down the canonization. "On September 18, a representative of the Hong Kong diocese was summoned to meet officials from the central Government's Liaison Office and told to keep the local celebrations low key," the newspaper said. The Hong Kong daily opined that "Beijing's reaction to the canonizations reflects its fear that it is losing its grip on the mainland's religious groups. Chinese authorities object to the Pope naming bishops without the approval of the government and the ... Chinese Catholics Patriotic Association (CCPA) ... but there are signs that some [bishops and priests] in the state-backed CCPA are becoming less willing to do the government's bidding.... The government is aware that it is losing control and has decided to use the canonizations as an opportunity to paint the Vatican as the enemy of the nation." In its anti-canonization campaign the government employed the support of state media, press and television. Newspapers and web sites were flooded with articles, comments, and historical analyses on the activity of the Church in China and foreign missionaries. In just one day--Saturday, September 30-- Fides' web office registered no less than 82 articles on this subject on the sina.com web site. POPE PROCLAIMS SANCTITY OF 120 CHINESE MARTYRS Three Religious Women Also Among New Saints VATICAN CITY, OCT. 1, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- John Paul II today solemnly proclaimed the sanctity of 120 martyrs killed in China as well as three religious women, including a one-time heiress and a former slave. Rain pelted the crowd of 70,000 pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for the canonization of the China martyrs who died between 1648 and 1930, and the three women religious: Katharine Drexel, a Philadelphia heiress who became an apostle of Indians and blacks in the United States; Giuseppina Bakhita, a one-time Sudanese slave; and Maria Josefa of the Heart of Jesus Sancho de Guerra of the Basque region of Spain. The colorful liturgy followed included songs and prayers in Chinese and Arabic, as well as Latin Gregorian. John Paul II began his homily by giving the examples of the martyrs who spilled their blood in China. "Isn't the Holy Year the most appropriate time to make their heroic witness shine?" the Holy Father asked. The Pope mentioned the example of Anna Wang, a 14-year-old girl, who "resisted the executioner's threats" demanding that she apostatize and who, prepared for decapitation, "cried with a radiant face: 'The door of heaven is open to all,' and then whispered 'Jesus' three times." Another Chinese martyr is Chi Zhuzi, 18, whose right arm had just been cut off. "As they prepared to flay him alive," John Paul said, "he cried, undaunted: 'Every piece of my flesh, every drop of my blood will repeat to you that I am Christian.'" Among these martyrs, 87 were Chinese and 33 foreign missionaries. The majority were killed during the Boxer Rebellion at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. The Boxers were members of a Chinese religious political party that declared war against Europeans and colonialism. As the missionaries were from the West, Christians became one of their favorite targets. John Paul II said that the canonization of these people, among whom are several children, "is not the appropriate time to make judgments on those historical periods: This can and will be done at another time. With this solemn proclamation of sanctity, the Church today wishes only to recognize that those martyrs are an example of courage and coherence for us all, and they render honor to the noble Chinese people." ZE00100106 BEIJING SAYS CANONIZATIONS WILL HURT TIES WITH ROME Patriotic Church Bishop Joins in Harsh Criticism BEIJING, OCT. 1, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- The Chinese government expressed "the height of indignation" over today's canonization of 120 martyrs, killed in China between 1648 and 1930. In a statement published by the New China agency, the Beijing Foreign Affairs Ministry said that it is "an evident provocation and an attempt to distort the verdict of history on colonialism and imperialism." The canonizations "will have a grave negative impact on the process of normalization" of relations between the Vatican and Beijing, the statement continued. China broke its diplomatic contacts with Rome in 1951. For his part, the bishop of the state-controlled Patriotic Church also condemned the canonizations that took place in Rome. Bishop Michael Fu Tieshan spoke in Tiananmen Square, in the ceremony of raising the flags for the celebration of the 51st anniversary of the birth of the People's Republic. "To choose today's date to canonize those so-called saints is a clear insult and humiliation," he said. "Today is a great holiday that celebrates the liberation of the Chinese nation from the invader and from the violent robbery of the imperialists and colonialists." Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said recently that the canonization date was not due to political motives. Oct. 1 is the feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, universal patroness of the missions. ZE00100110 CARDINAL ETCHEGARAY EVALUATES TRIP TO CHINA Sees Hope and Challenges VATICAN CITY, SEPT. 28, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Central Committee of the Great Jubilee, traveled to China last week to participate in a Chinese-Italian Symposium on "Religions and Peace." As the Oct. 1 canonization of China martyrs approaches, Beijing has been increasingly critical of the event, which coincides with a national holiday in China and which it sees as a political slight. The cardinal traveled to China in a personal capacity. In previous years, John Paul II had entrusted him with difficult missions to countries like Vietnam, or the republics of former Yugoslavia. The French cardinal, 76, said that the days he spent in the Far East were among the most delicate in his long career. Here is an interview he gave with Vatican Radio: -- Vatican Radio: Your Eminence, your trip to China seems to have taken an unforeseen turn, going beyond the personal character you announced before your departure. -- Cardinal Etchegaray: Yes and no. After the symposium on "Religions and Peace," which was the main purpose of my trip, which was a great success because of the atmosphere and seriousness of the historical and theological exchanges, a totally new road opened before me, which I hoped to follow with God's grace, as a Jubilee messenger of reconciliation among Catholics. In fact, this is the greatest challenge the Church in China and the Jubilee must address. As John Paul II often says, the Holy Year is a favorable time for apostolic audacity, for spiritual hopes. I return more convinced than ever of the need and urgency for this testimony of union, especially at a time when China "is awakening" to the greatest social change in its history. You have to see Putong, the new Shanghai, as I have seen it with its vice governor, to realize what the China of tomorrow will be like, whose inebriating modernization makes a "supplement of soul" all the more necessary. -- Q: The press agencies said that you were taken from Beijing to Shanghai by the Catholic Patriotic Association, not recognized by the Holy See. -- Cardinal Etchegaray: Before leaving, I said clearly that none of my steps should be interpreted as an approval of the structures of the official [state-approved] church. What interested me most of all was to meet people, and I could only do so through an omnipresent association linked to the government. Seeing things from afar, some are tempted to cut everything with a knife, as on Judgment Day. However, seeing them from inside, one realizes that we are still at the evangelization stage, where the wheat cannot be separated from the weeds. Above all, because this is about the one Church, in which a common faith tries, little by little, to overcome what, up until now, sadly separates the "clandestine" faithful from the "official." However, time is making its border ever more porous, at least in some regions of that immense country. --Q: What religious contacts did you make? --Cardinal Etchegaray: Above all I intensely deplore, and I made this known, not having been allowed to contact members of the clandestine Church. I also vigorously protested against the new wave of arrests of the faithful, including bishops, during the time I was in China. The most moving moment of my trip was my pilgrimage to Our Lady of Sheshan, situated 40 kilometers from Shanghai. This Marian shrine is much loved and frequented, especially during the month of May, by all Catholics without distinction. When celebrating the first Mass offered publicly in China, since the 1949 revolution, by a cardinal from Rome, you can understand my weeping over the maternal tenderness of the one invoked specifically with the title of Our Lady of Mercy. She can do much for the reconciliation of all her children. I visited the national seminary in Beijing for a long time and the one in Shanghai: Each one has some 120 students of philosophy and theology. What fervent dialogue I lived with those youths, avid for the Gospel and intense about the Pope; they will be the moving force of a united Church in the service of the Chinese people! The big problem, and those responsible are aware of it, is the formation of the teachers, as official Bishop Jin Luxian said in Shanghai. He spent 18 years in prison and nine in labor camps. While listening to those youths, I thought a lot about the clandestine seminarians, who cannot benefit from the same means of formation. --Q: You especially underline the Pope's role in the life of the Church in China. --Cardinal Etchegaray: I state it simply with joy: undoubtedly, there is there, more than in other places, the ferment and guarantee of a truly Catholic faith. This makes the division that stems from tragic and complex contingencies of history all the much more intolerable. The fact that I recognized the fidelity to the Pope of the Catholics of the official church, can in no way diminish my recognition of the heroic fidelity of the silent Church. Both sides live painfully in their flesh and spirit, although in different ways, the ever fragile relation between faith and history, which must always be reviewed in truth. The history of the Church throughout the centuries, with its lights and shadows, is illustrated by the word of Jesus: "Render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God." It is something really unhealthy to sink, or allow clandestine Catholics to sink, for reasons that are not religious, while many of them aspire to be recognized as genuine patriots. --Q: One of the obstacles is the growing multiplication of episcopal ordinations without the Pope's consent. --Cardinal Etchegaray: This is a very serious fact that affects ecclesiology. If it is repeated, there is a risk of impeding the rapprochement among Catholics. I had the opportunity to say it clearly to the official bishops of Beijing and Nanjing. The question of the ordination of bishops is a crucial point for the Church and state; it can neither be avoided nor easily resolved, given the differences and points of view. However, history shows that reasonable solutions can be found in all political climates. --Q: Another stone has appeared on the road now: the canonization of the Chinese martyrs, which will take place Oct. 1. --Cardinal Etchegaray: How is it possible that an event of a religious character, such as the recognition of the sanctity of the Church in China, can cause the opposite effect in the Beijing authorities? The history of relations between the Church and China is full of misunderstandings -- I am thinking, for example, of the sad controversy over the "Chinese rites." The latter incident is proof of the distance that exists between the East and West. If there had been a possibility for dialogue, the question could have been examined in total serenity and objectivity. In addition, there is the disagreeable coincidence with the date of the national holiday of the Chinese people: those who chose Oct. 1 were thinking only of the feast of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, patroness of the missions. I am certain of their decision, and there is no kind of provocation or revenge. John Paul II, great friend of China, does not lower himself to such mean calculations. I hope that one day Father Matteo Ricci -- "Li Mato," as he is known to the Chinese -- will be beatified. The diocesan process of beatification has already been completed. The memory of this wise Jesuit of the 16th century, who was accepted by the imperial court, is very alive in the grateful memory of all the people. Twenty years ago, I was able to pray in front of his memorial stone in the center of Beijing. All this makes me wish for dialogue between the Church and China as soon as possible; a genuinely Catholic Church and China, rising in flight like a wonderful dragon in the East of the world, converting fully to become part of the universal Church. ZE00092708 ANNA WANG: MARTYR AT 14 She's Among 120 to be Canonized This Sunday ROME, SEPT. 28, 2000 (ZENIT.org-Fides).- Among the 120 China martyrs to be canonized Sunday, is feisty Anna Wang. Anna (1886-1900) was an adolescent killed in Hebei during the nationalistic Boxer Rebellion at the turn of last century. The story below comes from documented testimonies used in the canonization process. Anna was born to Christian parents in 1886 in Majiazhuang, in the Weixian region of southern Hebei province. Her mother died when she was 5. Her strong character was evident at an early age: Promised in marriage at 11, she vigorously opposed the proposal. On July 21, 1900, a band of Boxers arrived in Majiazhuang. They captured a group of Christians and gave them an ultimatum: "The government has banned the practice of Western religions. If you renounce your religion, you will be set free; if you refuse, we will kill you." Anna's stepmother renounced the faith and urged Anna to do the same, but Anna refused, saying: "I believe in God. I am a Christian. I do not renounce God. Jesus save me!" Together with a group of friends, she spent the night in prayer. The following morning the Boxers led the Christians to their execution. First, Anna had to witness the execution of 9-year-old Andre Wang Tianquing. Non-Christians at the scene were anxious to save him, but his mother cried out: "I am a Christian; my son is a Christian. You will have to kill us both." The Boxers nodded their heads in agreement. Little Andre knelt down and smiled at his mother. His executioner struck his head with an ax. That day, five women and their children were killed, including a 10-month-old baby. One of the executioners grabbed the baby by the leg, cut him in half, and threw him to his dead mother. When her time came, Anna was kneeling in prayer. One of the soldiers gave her the option again: "Give up your faith and you will live." At first, Anna was silent, but at the soldier's insistence, she cried: "Do not touch me. I am a Christian. I prefer to die rather than give up my faith." The soldier cut off her right arm, and asked her again, "Do you deny your religion?" Anna was silent. When he struck her again, she was heard to say: "The door of heaven is open." Anna whispered the name of Jesus three times, and lowered her head. The executioner decapitated her. ZE00092803 BEIJING STEPS UP ACCUSATIONS AGAINST VATICAN OVER MARTYRS Patriotic Church Joins in on the Attacks Regarding Oct. 1 Canonizations BEIJING, SEPT. 26, 2000 (ZENIT.org).- Beijing-sanctioned leaders leveled strong accusations against the Vatican today, saying Rome has wounded the Chinese people with the forthcoming canonizations of 120 martyrs killed in Chinese territory. Sun Yuxi, spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, said the martyrs committed "enormous crimes" and claimed they were killed in the Chinese struggle against imperialism and colonialism. Their canonization, he said, "distorts and tramples on history, embellishes imperialism, is a calumny against the Chinese people, lovers of peace, wounds the Chinese's feelings, and insults their dignity. The government and Chinese people cannot tolerate it." In Rome, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said the accusations "cannot but cause profound pain to those who see in the imminent canonization of 120 martyrs in China, the exaltation of men and women, the majority Chinese citizens, who knew how to live their own commitment to faith with coherence, to the point of giving their life." "Next Sunday's ceremony has no political motive and is not directed against anyone," Navarro-Valls said, "much less so against the great Chinese people, whose traditions of civilization have always been recognized and appreciated by the Vatican and, in particular, by Pope John Paul II." The Vatican spokesman recalled that "the Holy See proceeds with a beatification or canonization only after a serious and profound examination not only of the sources and historical testimonies, but also of the heroic virtues of the persons to whom it renders homage." Hence, he asked: "How is it possible to imagine that the Holy See can canonize persons who have committed 'enormous crimes'? If it were true that the historical reality has been distorted, why did the civil and religious Chinese community not react against the processes of beatification of the 120 martyrs, which began in 1893, under the pontificate of Leo XIII?" Many of the 120 martyrs, who will be proclaimed saints by John Paul I on Sunday, died during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, considered by the Chinese government as a patriotic movement against imperialism. Some historians, however, say it was an outburst of brutal xenophobia. The Catholic Patriotic Association -- the state-controlled church -- added its voice to the Chinese government's protest. In its first public statement, broadcast on radio and television, the association and "patriotic" bishops' conference denounced that with the canonizations the Vatican is trying to get control over Catholics and encourage believers to oppose the socialist system and government. Patriotic Catholics also accuse the martyrs of committing "very grave crimes," and consider the choice of Oct. 1, the national holiday of the Popular Republic, to be intended as a "public humiliation" of the Chinese people. The Vatican chose this date because it is the feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, world patroness of missions. The statement of the patriotic group ends by requesting the Vatican to change its "hostile policy" toward China and to "repent of its errors." ZE00092609 CANONIZATION OF 120 CHINESE MARTYRS VATICAN CITY, SEP 22 (ZENIT.org).-- Today the Vatican Press Office responded to the criticisms of the Chinese Communist authorities against the canonization of 120 Chinese martyrs, which will take place Oct. 1. Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls noted that these new saints belong to different periods, extending from 1640 to 1930. They are a small representative group of the thousands of Catholic martyrs who gave their life, over the last three centuries, in fidelity to the Gospel, proclaimed in China since the fifth century. Hence, the reasons for the canonizations are strictly religious, Navarro-Valls stressed. ''Any other interpretation of this date is wrong," he said. "There is no political or diplomatic motive or interpretation behind it.'' Moreover, Reuters reported Navarro-Valls as saying, ''The history of Catholicism in China is so inextricably linked to missionary activity that Oct. 1, feast of St. Thérèse, was the most appropriate date.'' Navarro was reacting to a Chinese foreign ministry statement Wednesday criticizing the Vatican. Beijing does not allow its Catholics to recognize the Pope's authority and insists that they belong to a state-backed ''patriotic'' church. The 120 martyrs -- 87 Chinese and 33 missionaries -- were killed between 1648 and 1930, most in the anti-foreign Boxer Rebellion in the 19th century, Reuters said. China's Patriotic Catholic Church says it has more than 70 bishops and 4 million members. The Vatican says 8 million Chinese are loyal to the Pope and worship in secret. Relations between the Vatican and Beijing have been tense for decades. Beijing wants the Vatican to sever relations with Taiwan before relations can improve. Freedom of religion is enshrined in the Chinese constitution, but worship is allowed only at state-approved facilities. ZE00092207 POPE'S PLANS TO CANONIZE 120 CHINESE CATHOLIC MARTYRS BEIJING, SEPT. 20, 2000 (ZENIT.org).-- The China government expressed anger yesterday at the Pope's plans to canonize 120 Chinese Catholic martyrs Oct. 1, the date of the foundation of the People's Republic by Mao Tse-tung, the London Telegraph reported. "The Vatican's actions have seriously hurt the feelings of the Chinese people and the dignity of the Chinese nation, which is absolutely not tolerated by the Chinese government and people," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. A high-level Vatican delegation cut short an unofficial "academic" visit to Beijing at the weekend, the Telegraph said. It was reported to have come under pressure from Beijing to cancel the October ceremony. The diplomatic row appears to have sent Sino-Vatican relations into the deep freeze. China also expressed anger that some 80 of the martyrs being canonized were killed during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900, delegation sources said. Communist propaganda hails the fanatical Boxers as early patriotic heroes. Hundreds of Chinese Catholic nuns, priests and missionaries were butchered during the uprising. The Pope announced the canonizations this year after a campaign lasting more than 20 years led by bishops in Taiwan. All the martyrs died before 1930. None of the many Christians murdered and tortured by the atheist Communist Party is included. Delegation sources insisted that the choice of Oct. 1, the feast of St Thérèse of Lisieux, was not meant as a provocation. Beijing offered a public insult to the Vatican in January, when it created six "patriotic" bishops in Beijing on the same day that the Pope traditionally consecrates new bishops. ZE00092021 TWO BISHOPS AND ONE PRIEST ARRESTED IN CHINA Attacks on Clandestine Catholic Church Continue BEIJING, SEPT. 18 (ZENIT.org).-- The arrest of 81-year-old Bishop Thomas Zeng is the latest in a recent string of attacks against members of the underground Church, according to the U.S.-based Cardinal Kung Foundation. Police arrested Bishop Zeng in his residence Sept. 14 in Hangpu village, in the Chongren district of the Jiangxi region, news reports said. Between 50 and 60 officers converged on the village and took away the bishop, who was shouting, a witness told the ANSA agency. "The other times the police came they were quite courteous, but this time, it wouldn't have surprised me if they beat him," a neighbor said. Bishop Zeng was taken in a police car to a secret police station, according to one of his relatives. At the same time, other officers arrested Auxiliary Bishop Deng Hui and Father Liao Haiqing of the same district. The arrests come on the heels of the Aug. 26 arrest of Auxiliary Bishop Jiang Ming Yuan of Zhao Xian, in Hebei province. He had been consecrated a bishop only weeks earlier. On Sept. 1 the Kung Foundation also reported the arrest of a priest, a seminarian, 20 nuns and two lay people of the underground Church in Fujian province. It also reported the arrest and torture of 82-year-old Father Ye Gong Feng, in Gongtou village, on Sept. 11. Since 1957 China only has permitted the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association to function. The association's bishops are not approved by the Vatican. ZE00091802 CARDINAL IN BEIJING BEIJING, SEP 14 (ZENIT.org) - During his stay in China, Cardinal Etchegaray, who was the first Cardinal to visit this Communist country (in 1980), will meet with representatives of the underground Catholic Church and leaders of the Catholic Patriotic Association, controlled by the regime, which participated in the Congress' organization. On Saturday or Sunday, at the end of the meeting, the Cardinal should meet with Patriotic Bishop Michael Fu Tieshan of Beijing, who has been bitterly criticized recently by Catholics faithful to Rome. Bishop Fu Tieshan headed the Chinese delegation at the Millennium Summit of religious leaders, held at the United Nation in New York. Before travelling to Beijing, Cardinal Etchegaray said that "my only desire is simply to be able to testify to all a sincere and determined will to dialogue, without concealing any of the truth of the Church, just as Christ founded it." ZE00091408 BISHOP OF UNDERGROUND CATHOLIC CHURCH ARRESTED IN CHINA Auxiliary Bishop Jiang Ming Yuan Was Recently Consecrated BEIJING, SEP 5 (ZENIT.org).- Eyewitnesses told the international agency "Fides" that Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Jiang Ming Yuan of Zhao Xian (Hebei province) was arrested by security forces on August 26 in the afternoon. Since then, there has been no news of him. Bishop Jiang Ming Yuan received the episcopal consecration on August 8; he is a member of the underground Catholic Church, which is not recognized by the government. Over the last few months, the Communist regime did everything possible to impede his consecration. The government, which is intent on selecting patriotic bishops, has held a series of monthly meetings for ideological indoctrination and is relentless in claiming control over religions. However, priests and faithful have remained united and, on August 8, without governmental permission, celebrated Bishop Jiang's consecration from the hands of Bishop Raymond Wang Chong Lin of Zhao Xian, who is quite elderly. 26 priests took part in the ceremony, as well as more than 1,000 faithful, and all the religious of the flourishing diocesan Congregation of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Bishop Jiang's arrest is another chapter in the 6-year old campaign launched by the Chinese government to put an end to the clandestine Church. Bishop James Su Zhimin, 68, and his Auxiliary Bishop Francis An Shuxin, 51, both clandestine bishops of Baoding, are in some unknown place in the Hebei region. They disappeared through police action in 1996. Other bishops of the region are under house arrest. The pressure is not just on Catholics. Yesterday, it was made known that the Chinese authorities formally declared the arrest of 85 of the 130 Christians detained last month, under the accusation of being part of an "heretical cult." This was disclosed by the Hong Kong "Information Center on Human Rights," according to which those arrested are members of the Fangcheng Evangelical Church, one of the numerous Protestant denominations not recognized by the Chinese government and, consequently, regarded as illegal. The 130 Protestants were detained on August 23 in the Xihua district in the Henan region. The arrest of 85 of them was confirmed two days later. All the others, including 3 U.S.missionaries, were released. They were accused of using the "heretical cult" for illegal purposes, according to the official communication given to the family of one of those detained. ZE00090501 ANOTHER CATHOLIC PRIEST ARRESTED IN CHINA Cardinal Kung Foundation Releases Details STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, AUGUST 29 (ZENIT.org).- The Cardinal Kung Foundation, founded by the late Cardinal Ignatius Kung Pin-Mei, reports that Fr. Gao Yi Hua of Fujian province was arrested on the evening of August 19. Fr. Gao belongs to the underground Catholic Church, which is faithful to the Pope. A group of police officers arrived on the scene of a friend's house, where he was celebrating Mass for the family. His current whereabouts are unknown, and no official charges have been released by the police. The presumable reason for the arrest is his refusal to register with the Patriotic Association, which is controlled by the government. The 44-year-old priest already spent two years of his 16-year ministry in a forced labor camp. He was released that time in 1991. Joseph Kung, president of the Cardinal Kung Foundation and nephew of the late Cardinal, said: "The Patriotic Association was founded by the Chinese communist government in 1957. Why should an atheist government like China establish a church, as it was never the agenda of an atheist government to propagate religious faith? The objective of the Communists in creating the Patriotic Association was therefore to replace the Roman Catholic Church and to control the church entirely by the government. The Patriotic Association does not recognize the supremacy of the Pope in the Catholic Church, and is autonomous from and not obedient to the Pope. The Patriotic Association also appoints its own bishops without a mandate from the Pope. There are approximately four million followers in the Patriotic Association. In contrast, the population of the underground Church, in spite of its suffering severe ongoing persecution by the Chinese government for the past 50 years, increased from approximately 3 million in early 1950 to approximately 12 million today. In his speech on December 3, 1996, the Holy Father proudly proclaimed the underground Church as 'a precious jewel of the Catholic Church.' " The Chinese goverment is currently involved in an effort to make underground Church members register with the Patriotic Association. The resistance of its members has led to an escalation of the persecution of the underground Church. According to Kung, "Hundreds of underground bishops, priests, and Catholic faithful are still in prison or labor camp. Fr. Gao is apparently one the latest victims." ZE00082921 OUR LADY OF FATIMA IS ON THE WAY TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN CHINA PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - London (Fides) – The London based Faith and Truth in Mary all China association (Fatima-C) is organizing a pilgrimage for a group of Catholics to take a statue of Our Lady of Fatima to mainland China. The association, made up of overseas Chinese Catholics very devoted to Our Lady of Fatima, helps to promote missionary work in China with prayers and material help. The pilgriamge of Our Lady’s statue is being organized together with the Tang Foundation started with the support of the late Cardinal Basil Hume, Archbishop of Westminster. The Tang foundation takes its name from Archbishop Dominic Tang, who died in exile in 1995. Michael Hutchings, Fatima-C president, told Fides "it does not matter where in China the statue arrives, we just want it to touch Chinese soil". The meter-high statue of Our Lady of Fatima dressed in white and gold and wearing a crown, should not find it difficult to enter China: foreign and Chinese citizens may import religious material as long as they keep it with them and use it for personal devotion. Hutchings hopes that once the statue is in China it will travel all over the vast country. He is also hoping to obtain the Pope’s blessing for the pilgrimage which will start out in October. The idea of the "pilgrimage" is part of the Association’s impulse to evangelize. "We want to encourage the Chinese, especially the young ones, to pray to Our Lady. These days, young people are influenced by materialism and secularism. It is time to offer spiritual answers and realize that this life is only a pilgrimage". Our Lady of Fatima has been known in China for many decades. Before the Communists took power, in 1949, many Christian children were called after the three shepherd children who saw the apparitions of the "Lady", Lucia, Jacinta or Francisco. Medals and holy pictures of Our Lady of Fatima were found everywhere and people were accustomed to making sacrifices and praying for the conversion of sinners. With the Cultural revolution, which banned all religious practices and destroyed all images, the devotion disappeared. In the 1980s, after a timid opening on the part of China to the rest of the world, devotion to Our Lady of Fatima reappeared. Observers say this revival of devotion is due partly to delusion with communism and capitalism and partly to curiosity about the famous "three secrets of Fatima". Mystery and secrets are typical elements of the Taoist and Buddhist religions. (19/5/2000) back to index of Chinese articles