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Press Release – July 28, 2005 Contact: Joseph Kung Tel: 203-329-9712 Fax: 203-329-8415 E-Mail: jmkung@aol.com |
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T h e C a r d i n a l K u n g F o u n d a t i o n |
Underground Roman Catholic priest and his parishioners beaten and arrested in China |
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Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A.
— Father LIN Daixian 林代先,
an underground Roman Catholic priest belonging to the Pingtan 平潭
parish of the Fuzhou 福州
diocese in Fujian 福建,
a seminarian and 9 parishioners were arrested by Chinese security
personnel on July 25 at approximately 8 o’clock in the evening (Fujian
time). The arrest was carried out during the celebration of a
private Holy Mass in a private home in Pingtan, attended by approximately
50 faithful praying for the recovery of a cancer parishioner. In
arresting Father LIN Daixian, the security police beat savagely the
parishioners who tried in vain to prevent the arrest of Father LIN.
In the process, many parishioners were beaten and suffered severe
injuries, including broken bones and teeth, brain injuries causing severe
swelling, fainting, and many other kinds of injuries. The private
house where the arrests took place was totally ransacked and severely
damaged. Father LIN, the seminarian, and nine parishioners are now
detained in the Pingtan detention center.
Father
LIN Daixian was arrested three times previously. The first time was on
October 18, 2000 in connection with the canonization of 120 martyr saints
on October 1, 2000 by the late Pope John Paul II. The second time was on
August 15, 2001, and the third time was on November 22, 2001. This is his
fourth arrest by the Chinese government for his religious beliefs. He is
40 years old and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1995. We
do not know the name of the seminarian and the nine parishioners who were
arrested with the priest. Joseph
Kung, the President of the Cardinal Kung Foundation, said: "The
Chinese government has repeatedly declared to the world that there is
religious freedom in China. It also declared that this freedom is
guaranteed by its constitution. Yet, this kind of arrest of innocent
religious believers keeps taking place. This is another example of the
total disregard of religious freedom by the Chinese authority. 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, and also at a time when the
Chinese government will host the Olympic Games in 2008. I appeal once
again to the Olympic Committee to consider canceling the Games in China in
order to preserve their good name and spirit rather than be tarnished
further by their association and coexistence with the evil spirit of
religious persecution in China." |