Chinese Bishop Arrested

20 September 2006

Bishop Wu Qinjing of the Zhouzhi Parish in ShannXi Province was arrested on September 11. Wu was ordained as bishop in October 2005 but the Chinese government would not recognize the ordination as Wu refuses to join the government-sanctioned Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics. Wu was ordered to keep a low profile and not perform the duties of a bishop. He defied these orders at the funeral of Bishop Li Duan on May 27 and several other times since then.

During the night of September 11, thirty Public Security Bureau officers raided the church where Wu serves. Finding the gates locked, the officers scaled the wall. An elderly priest and others in the church were physically abused, threatened and driven away. Bishop Wu was then arrested without charge and taken to an undisclosed location. When a reporter with The Epoch Times contacted the Zhouzhi County Religious Bureau, the spokesman stated, "We picked up Wu Qianjing here to let him study for a few days, as soon as he meets our expectation, we will let him go."

Pray that those who were beaten will recover from their injuries. Pray that Bishop Wu will be released from prison. Pray that the Lord will protect him from harm during his incarceration.

For more information on the persecution of Christians 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.