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China: Bishop Arrested Again for Refusing to Join State-Managed Church

January 16, 2024
China

For background on Orthodox Christianity in China, see here.

For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in China, see here.

“Bishop Arrested Again for Refusing to Join State-Managed Chinese Church,” International Christian Concern, January 8, 2024:

01/08/2024 China (International Christian Concern) —Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of Wenzhou, in the eastern province of Zhejiang, was arrested in mid-December 2023 and then released a few days later. He was arrested again on Christmas Day 2023 to prevent him from leading Christmas mass and festivities in Zheijang.

Bishop Shao is regularly arrested by Chinese police and security forces because he refuses to join the Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA) and is therefore not legally recognized by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and local officials.

This latest arrest might be significant in length as sources report he was told to bring clothing for all seasons, indicating a longer sentence this time.

The harassment, arrests, and restriction of Bishop Shao’s ministry has been happening since 2016….

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