PRESS RELEASE
April 1, 1997
Contact
Joseph Kung
The Cardinal Kung Foundation
Chinese Public Security Agents
Ransacked the Home of
Another Underground Roman Catholic Priest in Shanghai,and
Seized his Religious Goods and Money
Stamford, Connecticut,
USA - Further to our press release on March 23, 1997
reporting the ransacking of the home and the seizure of the
religious articles and cash of Bishop Joseph Fan Zhongliang,
S.J., the underground Roman Catholic Coadjutor Bishop of
Shanghai, the home of one other underground Roman Catholic priest
in Shanghai met with the same fate.
During the evening of March 29, the Shanghai Security Bureau
police ransacked the home of underground Roman Catholic Father
Zen Caijun, S.J. As before, a large amount of religious
articles and cash were taken away. In addition, VCR, telephone,
religious videos and other electrical goods were seized. No
reason was given and no receipt was issued. The raid
consisting of six policemen started in late evening of March 29
until early morning of March 30 lasting about 5 hours.
"Ransacking two homes of underground Roman Catholic
priests before Easter could not be a random act of some lower
level official of the Shanghai Security Bureau", said
Joseph Kung, the President of Cardinal Kung Foundation. "It
has to be a carefully planned strategy of the Chinese
Government to eradicate the underground Roman Catholic Church
in accordance with the internal Communist document released by
the Cardinal Kung Foundation in January of this year. There are
about 965 million Roman Catholic worldwide. Refusing to legalize
and continuing to persecute this universally recognized religion
is clear evidence that there is no freedom of religion in China
as guaranteed by its own constitution. While billions of
Christian celebrated the Holy week, there was no Easter Mass for
underground Roman Catholics in most parts of China. Moreover, the
fact that the raid was carried out while the Speaker of the House
of Representatives of the United States Government Mr. Newt
Gingrich was discussing the human rights in Shanghai and few
hours before he was to participate in an Easter service in a
Communist sponsored Patriotic Association Church was yet another
snub by the Chinese Government to the United States Government."
Cardinal Kung Foundation is an advocate of the underground
Roman Catholic Church in China to which the Pope referred in
his speech on December 3, 1996 as "a precious jewel of
the Catholic Church". The Patriotic Association was
established by the Chinese Government in 1957 in order to control
all the religions. The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association,
which the Pope undoubtedly referred to in the same speech on
December 3, 1996 as "a church which does not respond
either to the will of the Lord Jesus, nor to the Catholic faith."
Go To
PREVIOUS RELEASE
Go Back To
COMPLETE PRESS RELEASE LIST
For Donations
Please Click DONATION/ADDRESS
Go Back To
MENU