Dear Friends:

In his Letter to the Colossians, Saint Paul wrote: "If then you have been raised with Christ…your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-3) These words resonate so deeply with the underground Church in China. Indeed, faithful Catholics in China both experience and understand a life "hid with Christ in God" and, therefore, the hope in Christ's Resurrection. As we celebrate this Easter season, let us pray for them that they may persevere in this Easter hope in the face of severe persecution. We wish you and your family a very happy and blessed Easter season.

Bishop of Hong Kong Among Newly Named Cardinals
Our Prayerful Congratulations

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI's first group of 15 cardinal appointments was announced Feb. 22. The Pontiff formally installed the new cardinals March 24. He also convened a March 23 meeting of the entire College of Cardinals for "prayer and reflection." The pope hinted at a strong advisory role for the cardinals when he said, before announcing the new names, that "the College (of Cardinals) was like a senate designed to support and assist the papal ministry."

We thought in the same way as the Holy Father on the advisory role of the College of Cardinals when we mailed on January 13, 2006 a copy of our Christmas 2005 newsletter to every cardinal in the world and wrote: "I am sending (this newsletter) to you because you have a special role in the Church to assist the Holy Father in overseeing and supporting the universal Church. I am hoping that you will take a few minutes to read this newsletter's report about the very confused China policy adopted by very senior members of the Church. This policy has severely wounded the underground Church, which, according to several Popes, is the only real, true, obedient, and loyal One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church in China." In response so far, we have received a letter from a very active cardinal in Rome who wrote: "You have raised a very important point. About it I am reflecting." Appreciating that there must be a very significant number of worthy causes that need this cardinal's attention, we are very grateful that he reflects on the aforementioned confused Vatican China policy that affects the spiritual welfare of the 12 million underground Catholics in China. Please join us in praying that this cardinal will understand our situations and champion our cause.

Among the new cardinals is Cardinal Joseph Zen ZeKiun, bishop of Hong Kong, who, at the October 2005 Bishops' synod, made a very significant statement that "the Church in China which appears to be divided in two - an official one recognized by the government and an underground one which refuses to be independent from Rome - is actually a single Church, as everyone wants to stay united with Pope." We wrote an in depth analysis, reasoning that the aforementioned statement made by Cardinal Zen is wrong. Nevertheless, this appointment is historically important because Cardinal Zen Zekiun is the first appointed cardinal in China after Hong Kong fell under the jurisdiction of communist China. Hong Kong has been a part of China since 1997. It is important to know that according to an agreement signed by China and the UK on December 19, 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on July 1, 1997. In this agreement, China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years. Therefore, China did not require Hong Kong to adopt the communist government-established official Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association Church, and permitted Hong Kong's Roman Catholic Church's continuous full communion with the Pope. In Hong Kong Cardinal Zen presides over approximately 370,000 Catholics - 5.4 percent of the Hong Kong population. The Hong Kong diocese carries significant moral and political weight with the Chinese government particularly because of its 320 Catholic schools with 286,000 students. Since his installation as the bishop of Hong Kong in September 2002, Cardinal Zen ZeKiun, S.D.B. has been prodding the Chinese government on religious freedom issues, on human rights in general, and on many Hong Kong legislative issues to protect the freedom of the Hong Kong population. According to the release from the Hong Kong diocese website, before the news of his appointment to the cardinalate became public, Bishop Zen, age 74, was planning after his retirement next year to return to teach in the Shanghai's Sheshan Seminary where he previously taught for many years before becoming the coadjutor bishop of Hong Kong. SheShan Seminary is one of the major regional seminaries reopened by the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association in the early 1980s. Obviously, Pope Benedict XVI has a different plan for Cardinal Zen. His elevation to the dignity of cardinal not only underlines the importance that our Holy Father places on China, and not only expresses the Holy Father's love for China, but also recognizes Cardinal Zen's many courageous achievements in shepherding his flock. We congratulate Bishop Zen's elevation to the cardinalate. As he carries out his awesome responsibilities as the cardinal bishop of Hong Kong and as the most senior Catholic prelate in China, we pray that he will not only continue to defend rigorously the freedom of the Hong Kong population, but will also speak out on the numerous injustices, - "blood and tears" as Cardinal Zen himself put it - against the underground Roman Catholic Church in China. His words and advice will undoubtedly have major impact both in the Vatican and in China and could significantly affect the fate of 12 million underground Catholics.

Cardinal Kung's Possible Cause for Beatification

Readers of our Christmas 2004 newsletter will recall the report of my August 4, 2004 petition to Bishop William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Connecticut to open the cause for Cardinal Kung's beatification on March 12, 2005. The date marked the fifth anniversary of the death of Cardinal Kung. According to the Church's law, a cause for beatification can be advanced after the fifth year anniversary of a person.

Since the Bridgeport diocese's vicar general acknowledged receipt of my petition before the end of 2004, we have no further news in the last 20 months from Bishop Lori regarding his decision whether or not to open the cause for the beatification of Cardinal Kung, even though the Cardinal has been dead for more than six years. However, we would like to share with you a few comments that we have received recently from several cardinals around the world, in addition to many hundreds we have already received, including many from other bishops.

On January 19, 2006, Bishop Jose L. Redrado, O.H., on behalf of His Eminence Javier Cardinal Lozano Barragan, President of Pontificio Consiglio Per La Pastorale Della Salute, wrote: "I also thank you and the entire staff of Cardinal Kung Foundation for your commitment to the possible cause for Cardinal Kung's beatification, whose testimony remains a shining example to all followers of Christ. We deeply appreciate your efforts to assist the suffering Church."

On January 25, 2006, His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Okogie, archbishop of Lagos, Nigeria wrote: "He (Cardinal Kung) led an edifying life, proclaiming to all and sundry by example, that holiness demanded of us is not attainable on a platter of Gold. Indeed, 'he that wants to be my disciple must carry his cross and follow me.' This is what he did and the Good Lord showed himself in his life as he did in others before him. Be assured of our interest and prayer in this noble cause."

On February 11, 2006, His Eminence Emmanuel Cardinal Wamala, archbishop of Kampala, emailed: "No doubt the testimony of the fidelity to the Vicar of Christ for 32 and half years cannot be other than martyrdom. Rest assured that I am with you in your efforts to promote the cause of so faithful a Servant of the Lord."

If you wish to write a testimonial letter for Cardinal Kung's cause for beatification, the letter should be sent to Most Reverend William E. Lori, Bishop of Bridgeport, 238 Jewett Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06606-2892. Please also send a copy to the Cardinal Kung Foundation so that we can compile the documents for the future postulator. In the meantime, let us all continue to pray together for the early opening of the cause of Cardinal Kung's beatification. Thank you

Novice Nun Program - Can You Adopt A Novice?

Last July and Christmas, I wrote about the work and living conditions of the underground nuns in China and requested your special help by adopting and feeding a novice for US 55 cents a day or $ 100 for 6 months or $ 200 for one year (This is a special financial help over and above your regular donation so that the Foundation can continue other important projects.) In spiritual union with the sponsor, the novice will pray daily for her sponsor's intentions. At the press time of this newsletter, we have approximately 200 novices from 12 convents across China registered with us and waiting for your adoption. Thanks to your generosity, you have adopted 145 novices so far. During this Easter season, may I appeal to you once again to continue your generosity by adopting the other 55 novices? A 6-month sponsorship is an excellent Easter gift of prayers for one of these intentions: for your family, for a seriously ill friend, for someone to return to the sacraments, for preparation for a holy death of a terminally ill person, or for the repose of the soul of someone you love. We can never outdo God's generosity.

University Scholarship for Nuns in China

Do you remember the nun that taught you or the nun that took care of your family members when they were in the hospital? With their specialized training and devotion to their vocation, these nuns had touched our lives in a very positive way. You might not be able to thank this nun either because you have lost contact or she has died. A great way to repay the graces that you received through your favorite nun is to give the same positive experience to the underground Catholics by supporting university or professional training for nuns in China. In just a period of 2-4 years, the nun that you assist will be serving in a village clinic or organizing underground religious summer camps for students (it is illegal in China to give religious instruction to someone below age 18) or assisting the bishop in an administrative role.

It may be a surprise to many of you that China, a communist country, has no free education at any level. Many underground Catholic families, due to their illegal religious background, were discriminated against in obtaining higher paying jobs during the past 56 years. With minimum income, most Catholic families could not send their children to universities. We have underground seminaries to train priests, but no similar facilities to train nuns. Religious communities are begging for financial help to send the professed nuns to Chinese universities, to study nursing, teachers training, medicine, accounting or computer skills. We are currently sending approximately thirty nuns to the universities for specialized trainings, but there are many, many more applying for our help which we are unable to help because of our very limited resources.

You can assist in many ways. If you donate $1,500 per year (or $750 per semester), the scholarship can be named after you or someone you wish to be remembered. It is a great way to remember a beloved dead. The nun and her community will be given the name of the scholarship donor. You will be given the Christian and last name of the nun who benefits from your scholarship. (Sorry, for security reasons, we cannot disclose her full Chinese phonetic name and her location.) Some of you are graduates of prominent Catholic universities. Regrettably, many Catholic universities have changed drastically their Catholic philosophy or identity in recent years. You were upset when a pro-abortion politician spoke at the last commencement, or was given an honorary Degree, or sponsored gay and lesbian events. You may not wish to keep donating to such institutions that continue to give privileges to the pro-abortion politicians or to support homosexual behaviors. Why not give the donation that you may have earmarked for your alma mater to an underground nun for her higher education? We welcome donations of any amount to this University scholarship Fund for Nuns in China.

Other Help to Nuns and Male Religious

We are paying medical expenses for a number of nuns, costing $20,000 a year. This is only a small part of our expenses for our sick religious sisters. In addition, we are also sending regular monthly subsistence allowances of US$1,000 per month to several convents in China for approximately US$50,000.

Let us not forget that we also support many seminarians and priests both in China and Europe, costing us well over US$150,000 a year. We also support an orphanage. We are literally running out of funds.

Your continuous assistance in these programs is deeply appreciated and needed.

A Review of Continuous Persecutions of Roman Catholics in China

In the 2005 Christmas newsletter, we reviewed the confusing China policy of the Vatican. In this issue, we need to review the continuous persecutions of Roman Catholics in China, because many Catholic magazines, such as Maryknoll's Mission and Seaton Hall University U. S. Catholic China Bureau's Newsletter have seldom described the persecutions of underground Roman Catholics in China. Bishop Ignatius Wang of San Francisco even stated in his interview on December 11, 2004 by Tracy Early and published by The Tidings on December 17, 2004 that "overall he (Bishop Wang) did not see persecution of Christians (in China) as the major problem it is sometimes reported to be"!

The promise of religious freedom in China by the Chinese government is a false one. Since 1949 when the communists took over China, the Chinese government has not stopped persecuting members of China's spiritual communities such as Roman Catholics, Protestants, Evangelical Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, Uighur Muslims, Falun Gong movements, and other spiritual communities.

The Chinese Government views religion as a threat to its power. Accordingly, it restricts religious activities to government-sanctioned organizations and registered places of worship. It seeks to stamp out those religious activities that are not government-sanctioned. Those religious groups that defy the control of the government face severe consequences: mass campaigns, surprise raids, imposition of heavy fines, imprisonment, and torture. 

China therefore has two Churches that call themselves Catholic. 

One Church is established by atheist Chinese communists 49 years ago in 1957. It is under the protection of the Chinese communist government, and has not been persecuted. It is independent from the Pope and is not in full communion with the Pope. It appoints its own bishops without prior approval from the Vatican, although many Patriotic bishops have personally claimed that they have been legitimated by the Holy See, but without any announcement or explicit agreement with these claims from His Holiness or his spokesperson. This is the official Church, otherwise known as the Patriotic Association. The most important article in Patriotic Association's constitution is its autonomy from the Pope. It does not recognize the Pope as the leader of the universal Church, and it is not obedient to the Pope. It takes orders only from the Chinese government. In his speech on December 3, 1996, the late Pope John Paul II apparently referred to the Patriotic Association as "A Church which does not respond either to the will of the Lord Jesus, or to the Catholic faith." 

The other Church was founded by Christ approximately 2000 years ago. It is in full communion with the Pope, but not registered with and not recognized by the Chinese government. This is the underground Roman Catholic Church which is illegal in China. It has been persecuted by the Chinese government for the last 57 years since 1949. In the same speech on December 3, 1996, the late Pope Jon Paul II proudly proclaimed this underground Church as "a precious jewel of the Catholic Church." 

There are approximately 45 underground bishops in China. All of them are appointed by the Pope. However, because they maintained their allegiance and obedience to the Roman Pontiff, every one of them has either been arrested and is now in jail, or is under house arrest, or under strict surveillance, or in hiding, or on the run, or simply has disappeared. 

One bishop, Bishop Gao Kexian, Bishop of Yantai, Shandong, was arrested in October 1999. We did not know where he was until six years later when we learned that he died in jail in January 2005. His cause of death is unknown.

We know for sure that eight bishops are now in jail They are Bishops 1) AN Shuxin of Baoding, Hebei, 2) HAN Dingxiang of Yong Nian, Hebei, 3) JIA Zhiguo of Zhengding, Hebei 4) LIN xili of Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 5) SHI Enxiang of Yixian, Hebei, 6) SU Zhimin of Baoding, Hebei, 7) YAO Liang of Xiwanzi, Hebei, and 8) ZHAO Zhendong of Xuanhua, Hebei. They are all in their 70's or 80's. Three of them have disappeared. (AN, HAN, and SU). Out of these three, two (AN and SU) have disappeared for more than 8 years and one (HAN) has just disappeared several months ago after being detained approximately 5 years. We do not know whether they are dead or alive. One (JIA) of these eight bishops has been arrested at least 8 times since January 2004. The last time he was arrested was November 8, 2005. He is still in jail at this press time. 

One bishop, HAN Qian of Siping, Jilin has been under arrest warrant for many years and hiding somewhere. 

Priests, seminarians, nuns and laypersons face similar harassment. We know for sure that there are approximately 25 of them in jail or in labor camps. This list is by no means complete because of the difficulties in obtaining details. Many cases are not reported. My educated guess is that there are hundreds in jail. 

Agency French Press reported that "Authorities in eastern China have shut down, and in some cases blown up, 450 Catholic and Protestant churches…" The information Center of Human Rights & Democracy, a Hong Kong group, said that approximately 1,200 temples and churches had been demolished in the province of Zhejiang since late 1999. One church was demolished three times and rebuilt three times in 18 months. 

We do notice that these massive destructions of churches and temples occurred throughout China just a few months after the government of the Unites States of America granted China full trade partner status in September 2000. Is this only a coincidence? 

In its issue dated April 7, 2002, the National Catholic Register reported that an organization called International Christian Concern declared in February of that year that as many as 23,686 Christians had been arrested since 1983; 20,000 had been beaten, and 129 had been killed in an effort to stamp out the underground churches. 

The Chinese government has repeatedly declared to the world that there is religious freedom in China. They also declared that this freedom is guaranteed by its constitution. However, those who refuse to join the Chinese communist-founded and authorized Patriotic Official Church are now liable to be put in labor camp for 3 years.

So, it is now also a crime punishable by three years in labor camp when a person is ordained as an underground Roman Catholic priest and conducts evangelization without permission from the Chinese government. 

A number of secret Chinese government documents to control religion have been smuggled out. 

In January 1997, nine years ago, the Cardinal Kung Foundation already published a secret Chinese government document. This document recommended steps to be taken to destroy the underground Roman Catholic Church. On January 26, 1997, the New York Times referenced this document on its front page in an article entitled "Catholics in China: Back to the Underground." It was a very long and detailed article describing how the New York Times' China Bureau Chief went to the village to verify our published secret document. In fact, in investigating, the Bureau Chief himself was arrested by the village authority for a short time. 

Freedom House of Washington, D.C. published seven secret documents on February 11, 2002. These documents provide irrefutable evidence that China is determined to use extreme force to eradicate all underground churches that refuse to register with the government. 

These are but a few of the many examples of the harsh and ongoing persecution of the underground Roman Catholic Church in China. The Cardinal Kung Foundation has documented many other instances in its press releases which are available on our website.

The United States Commission of International Religious Freedom stated that "official respect for religious freedom in China has diminished….The crackdown against religious believers was authorized at the highest levels of the government." The Secretary of State concluded for the seventh straight year that the Chinese government severely and systematically violates human rights and violates freedom of religion and belief, and named China a "country of particular concern." Nina Shea, Director of Center for Religious Freedom of the Freedom House in Washington, DC, said in her testimony on March 16, 2006 before the hearing of the Committee on International Relations of U.S. House of Representatives, said: "The new regulation on religious affairs, which took effect on March 1, 2005, has proved to be a tool for further restriction and persecution against unregistered religious believers and institutions."

The persecution of Roman Catholics in China is obviously not ancient history. The persecution continues and gets worse and bolder at a time when China is making significant economic progress, at a time when China has joined the World Trade Organization, and at a time when China has become an important member of the international community. The persecution also continues and get worse and bolder at a time when China professes fighting terror, even as it continues to create its own terror among its own religious believers, and also at the same time when the Chinese government will host the Olympic Games in 2008. The spirit of the Olympic Games is being downgraded by their coexistence with the evil spirit of religious persecutions in China. The noble name of "Olympic" is being severely tarnished by its association with religious persecutions and human rights violations in China. It is time for the Olympic Committee to consider canceling the Games in China in order to preserve their good name and spirit.

In view of this concern about the Olympics, on September 1, 2005, I wrote a letter to President Hu Jintao of People's Republic of China, appealing to him "to bring modern China into an era of true religious freedom," reasoning with him that "a country without religious freedom is never peaceful and constructive" and challenging him to realize "the importance of changing the world's perception of China's human rights policy for the better." We also not only appealed to President Hu that "all these (religious) prisoners, both living and dead, be officially and posthumously exonerated of so called crimes, some as long as five decades ago," but also appealed to him "to release all current religious prisoners from prison and labor camp…" We concluded that "to do so will be a powerful testimony to the Chinese government's respect for and adherence to human rights and liberty. To do so will also prove that China is honoring the spirit of the Olympic Games that (she) will have the honor of hosting in 2008."

Unfortunately, President Hu has never replied to our appeals, and instead, the arrests of religious believers continue. On the eve of his visit to this country, I respectfully ask that President Hu's attention be directed to our appeals and that he give an order to his government to rectify the situation. He has the power and authority to do so. Otherwise, the Olympic Committee should take note of these arrests and decide whether or not China's continuous persecutions of innocent religious believers are in conformity with the spirit of the Olympic games and whether or not the Committee should consider canceling the Games in China in 2008 in order to preserve its good name and spirit of the Olympic games.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

Joseph Kung
President