Catholic Bishop Arrested

14 April 2004

On April 5, security police raided the home of Jia Zhiguo, the underground Catholic bishop of Zhengding, Hebei, and took him away, saying they were following orders from their superior. Jia is sixty-nine years old and has previously served roughly twenty years in prison for his faith. He was last detained for three days in March 2002. His home, where he looks after approximately one hundred handicapped orphans, has been under surveillance for many years.

According to the Cardinal Kung Foundation, there are no further details on the reasons he was arrested or his present location. Pray for safety and strength for Bishop Jia. Pray that his whereabouts will be found soon and that he will be released unharmed. Pray for safety and adequate care for the orphans he was ministering to.

For more information on persecution in China, click here.

China

Current Ministry Projects
The Voice of the Martyrs Canada continues to help distribute Bibles to Christians in the country, making it possible for them to have their own printed version of God's Word. Additionally, VOMC works with various mission partners to facilitate a Biblical understanding of persecution and discipleship, while presenting ways to effectively respond and minister within the context of hostility.

Project Funds: Underground Church, Bible, Relief & Development
Country Information
Population
1,413,142,846 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Han Chinese (91.1), ethnic minorities (8.9 - includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

Religion (%)
Folk religion (21.9), Buddhist (18.2), Christian (5.1), Muslim (1.8), Hindu (< 0.1), Jewish (< 0.1), other (0.7 - includes Daoist [Taoist]), unaffiliated (52.1) (2021 est.)

Leader
President Xi Jinping (2013)

Government type
Communist party-led state

Legal system
Based on civil law system; influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems

Sources: CIA World Factbook
Pray for China
Pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout China without government interference so many more names can be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life." May there also be a spirit of unity demonstrated among the country's growing churches, further strengthening existing believers and spurring them on in their ministry service and evangelistic outreach within the country's numerous communities.