- Y$ W Y+ Q6 E0 ~据未经证实的数据统计，中国天主教和基督教新教信徒加起来估计已超过1亿，而且这个数字仍在不断增长。但是，家庭教会成员的宗教信仰受到各种限制，被当局恐吓、骚扰和拘留的情况时有发生，特别是天主教徒持续受到要他们效忠官方天主教爱国会的压力。 2 g4 G5 ~( G4 r& j5 ]1 ]1 y& s; q! }' r% \4 c2 H8 M: I- |+ I
中国和梵蒂冈在主教任命等问题上存在分歧，双方至今未建立外交关系。 . k5 w5 o. e2 i7 s6 J8 N: r5 O8 @1 }; r8 @
China detains three underground priests, group says0 I5 |# w5 t" B: l, G, U
Sun Jul 29, 2007 + H0 C/ i# ^# l. X9 E5 x
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BEIJING (Reuters) - China detained three "underground" Catholic priests unwilling to serve a state-controlled body, a U.S. group has reported, as Beijing and the Vatican press their claims on religious controls.. j2 n' }$ L& J# ^9 _
1 P& w: W$ A- tThe three men were caught by police in north China's Inner Mongolia region, having fled there from neighboring Hebei province, the Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement emailed late on Saturday. - X' L: }, k% ~/ a9 t6 c 0 k$ W9 ^ E5 `: U9 n oThe detentions came as the Vatican and Beijing test their boundaries of authority following a letter on China's Catholics from Pope Benedict.9 a: P* N! d& P3 K0 {3 j1 {
3 r2 ~; c M% KChina's 12 million Catholics share the same basic religious beliefs but are politically divided between "above-ground" churches approved by the ruling Communist Party and "underground" churches that reject government ties.9 L& g4 S9 r' L) K
) X+ H- k* A* b g- f, A% Y+ ]On June 30, Pope Benedict issued a letter that urged reconciliation between the two sides. But he said the church must have the power to run its own affairs, including appointing bishops, possibly with government consultation. ) I/ S% r0 {, O8 Y* S' s: S, ? & |2 i w4 N4 hThe Chinese government has often rejected such claims as interference in "domestic affairs" but has given no detailed public response to the letter.0 G" Z* }9 r% j6 ^+ Y
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Parts of Hebei, the priests' home province, are a stronghold of "underground" churches.+ S0 m \- K4 g- ^( Y1 w
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The Cardinal Kung Foundation said the three had refused to join the Catholic Patriotic Association, the state-controlled body that seeks to control church affairs. ( b* v/ o4 V/ u, h3 N/ B9 x6 Y @ ( J) s3 M ~* T+ Q" E" |Plain clothes police detained the priests -- Liang Aijun, Wang Zhong and Gao Jinbao -- on July 24 and they have been transferred to an unknown location, the Foundation said. 3 D4 J7 g3 {! D8 C, i" T& s$ e$ I, g z# }, d
"They'd been hiding for quite a while when they were hunted down," the head of the Foundation, Joseph Kung, told Reuters by phone. , t6 {, K. j; ?; y# i( I; c1 N& y8 F0 F
Kung said he did not know if the men have been charged. Another underground priest, Cui Tai, had been detained in Hebei following a minor motorbike accident, he said. 6 R/ ?6 s" L9 _ Y2 W' U$ A 9 R1 D4 P6 g" O' N! N: q8 ZSometimes "underground" clergy are released after days or weeks; sometimes they are held for much longer.% E6 y n+ B0 U
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The Vatican is waiting to see how China handles the appointment of a new bishop for Beijing, the country's most prominent diocese.6 r- h x0 ]( |+ M1 Y- c' [6 W' A
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Rome has said a nominee proposed by the state-registered diocese, Father Li Shan, could be acceptable and has urged him to seek papal approval. 7 A, ?6 `0 ]( L9 d! E2 U% |, I3 s7 Y4 W# I
But an editorial in a Beijing newspaper on Friday said China rejects the Vatican's demand that it stop appointing bishops without papal approval. , N: y/ [+ G T$ C% N i h% N4 ^$ H$ u8 m: v5 B6 S4 K$ p. |
These days, most state-approved bishops have also won Vatican blessing. The Vatican has not had diplomatic ties with Beijing since 1951 and instead recognizes Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China regards as an illegitimate breakaway.
