They also arrested his secretary. The aim is to prevent them from attending the funeral of an “underground” Church priest, Fr. Chen Nailiang. Monsignor Shao is a victim of continued government persecution. The Bishop of Xuanhua was banned from traveling for the Lunar New Year.
Rome () – The Chinese security authorities once again made Mgr Shao Zhumin, Bishop of Wenzhou (Zhejiang), disappear. received the information from local sources, according to which the bishop was arrested along with his secretary (and chancellor of the diocese), Fr. Jiang Sunian. The aim is to prevent them from attending the funeral of Father Chen Nailiang, who passed away on January 29 at the age of 90.
Like Msgr Lin Xili, the first bishop of Wenzhou, Msgr Shao is targeted by the government and is often detained for brainwashing into joining the “official” church, controlled by the Communist Party of China (CCP). Bishop Shao is recognized by the Pope but not by the Party, which claims to exercise control over all religious activities.
In Zhejiang the percentage of Christians exceeds 10%. Like Bishop Shao, Father Chen belonged to the “clandestine” community and for this reason the authorities informed all clandestine religious that they were prohibited from attending the funeral or celebrating Mass, for which three priests from the parish of ruian.
Fr. Chen had been a parish priest in Pingyang and was much loved by the faithful. The CCP has persecuted him since his first steps into the Catholic Church, between the late 1940s and early 1950s. He spent many years in prison or in “re-education” camps through labor.
For a long time, Mons Shao has been a victim of the same persecutions by the government. It is not the first time that the police have arrested him or held him for a period of time. The last time was last April 7, when the authorities took him aboard a plane, most likely to prevent him from presiding over the Holy Week celebrations, especially the Chrism Mass. A few months earlier, on October 25, 2021, the police had kidnapped him – officially it was a “tourist” trip – and he was released about two weeks later.
In a case similar to the one in recent days, between August 23 and October 8, 2016, the security forces had detained Msgr. Shao and Father Jiang for “a trip.” Thus, they were unable to attend the funeral of Msgr. Zhu Weifang, Msgr. Shao’s predecessor in the diocese of Wenzhou.
The Sino-Vatican agreement on the appointment of bishops that was signed in 2018 and the double renewal in October 2020 and 2022 have not stopped the repression against Chinese Catholics, especially non-official ones. In addition to the case of Mgr Shao, there is that of Mgr Jia Zhiguo, who is under house arrest. There are also bishops subjected to different types of harassment, such as Bishop Guo Xijin, and others forced to attend political indoctrination sessions, such as Bishop Zhang Weizhu.
Another religious controlled by the communist regime is Bishop Agustín Cui Tai, bishop of Xuanhua (Hebei), repeatedly subjected to house arrest. The government prohibited him from traveling for the Lunar New Year and only allowed his family to visit.
