‘Underground’ Chinese bishop taken into custody again
May 24, 2017
Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of Wenzhou, who was arrested by Chinese officials just before Easter, has again been taken into custody, the AsiaNews service reports.
Bishop Shao, whose appointment is not recognized by the Chinese government, was arrested on April 18, as he prepared to celebrate the Easter Triduum for the first time as Bishop of Wenzhou. He was returned to the diocese just after Easter, but arrested again last week. Catholics in the diocese do not know where he has been taken.
In a related development, about 17,000 Catholics have joined in pilgrimages to the shrine of Our Lady of Shesan, despite strict government regulations on the visits. On May 24—the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China—pilgrims at the Marian shrine joined in prayers for the release of Bishop Shao and the freedom of Chinese Catholicism.
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