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Last week, The Voice of the Martyrs reported on the arrest of seven Chinese Catholic priests as they traveled to a retreat on April 27 (click here for details).  VOM has since learned that six of the priests were released the next day and the seventh, Li Suchuan, was released a few days later.  According to AsiaNews, the priests were released because the Zhengding diocese's "special situation."  Sources report that local police in that area are prepared to "turn a blind eye" to the activities of the non-official Catholic Church as long as they "are not too obvious."

AsiaNews also reports that the Auxiliary Bishop of Xiwanzi in Hebei Province has been detained and is being subjected to "re-education."  The 83-year-old Bishop Yao Liang was arrested on March 31 and then released in mid-April.  Soon after his release, he was again detained.  The purpose of the "re-education" is undoubtedly to convince the bishop to leave the underground Catholic Church and join the official government church.

Pray for physical and spiritual strength of Bishop Yao.  Pray for Christian leaders throughout China facing pressure from authorities.  Continue to pray for those in prison for their faith.  A list of Christians presently in prison for their faith, along with ways you can help, is available online. 

For more information on the persecution of Christians in China,click here.

Bishop Jia Zhiguo

Commenting on these recent arrests, Joseph Kung, president of the Cardinal Kung Foundation, said, "How could the Chinese government on one hand proclaim to Pope Benedict XVI and the world their willingness to improve the relationship between China and the Vatican, and on the other hand keep arresting the Pope's priests? It is quite obvious that the desire expressed by the Chinese government to improve its relationship with the Vatican is less than sincere."

Pray for these and many others presently in prison or house arrest in China because of their faith.  Pray for the strength to continue their ministry despite the continued opposition from Chinese authorities.

For more information on the persecution of the Church in China,click here.

On April 2, Vatican spokesman, Joaquín Navarro Valls, issued a press statement reporting on the arrest of a 75-year-old priest of the underground Catholic Church, Thomas Zhao Kexium, on March 30.  According to the Zenit news service in Rome, Kexium was returning from a funeral when he was detained by security forces.  The reasons for his arrest and his present location are unknown.

Zenit also reports that the bishop of the same diocese of Xuanhua, in the province of Hebei, Philip Peter Zhao Zhendong (85) was arrested on January 3 and is presently detained in the city of Jiangjiakow.  According to the same report, national security forces arrested Bishop James Lin Xili (86), Bishop of Wenzhou, in the province of Zhejiang on March 20.  Two days later, Gao Xinyou, collaborator in the pastoral care of the laity in the Longgang area, was also arrested.

These arrests add to the list of Roman Catholic bishops and priests arrested or prevented from carrying out their ministry by the Chinese authorities, reported in the Persecution and Prayer Alert on March 9.  To view the list of these Catholic leaders and addresses for Chinese authorities, to whom you can write on their behalf, click here.

Continue to pray for each of these Christians who have been imprisoned, many of them old and frail.  Pray for God's peace, protection, and assurance.

For more information on persecution in China,click here.  The May 2005 edition of VOM's monthly newsletter will be featuring the persecution of Christians in China.  To subscribe to this newsletter, click here.

Rev. Dr. Brad Long Photo fromwww.prmi.org

Rev. John Chang Photo fromwww.gcif.org

The training session for about 140 Chinese house church leaders was being held in an office building in a suburb of Harbin city, the capital of Heilongjiang province.  According to ChinaAid, the house church leaders were released that night after being interrogated, fingerprinted and required to give their home addresses and house church affiliations.  Their cell phones were also confiscated, along with 20,000 RMB (about $3000 CDN).  Those deported include Americans Rev. Dr. Brad Long and Rev. and Mrs. John and Susan Chang, and well-known Taiwanese church leader Rev. Lin Yuyuan.

Pray for the continuing training of Chinese church leaders.  Pray that the Gospel will continue to spread throughout the country.

For more information on the state of the Church in China,click here.

Pastor Zhuohua Cai

On March 5, AsiaNews published a list of 19 Roman Catholic bishops and 18 priests arrested or prevented from carrying out their ministry by the Chinese authorities.  The list includes six bishops who were arrested and have disappeared.  One was arrested in 1996.  The purpose of the article is to raise awareness of their plight and to begin a campaign aimed at gaining the release of these prisoners of faith.  The Voice of the Martyrs encourages your involvement.  A list of these leaders and addresses you can write to on their behalf is available online at (click here).

On a possibly more encouraging note, Australian news agency, The Age, reported on March 5 that China is preparing to change their policy on "re-education through labour," which allows police to imprison anyone without trial for up to four years.  According to a Chinese Justice Department official, the new system would allow for an appeal to the courts as well as the right to a lawyer.  It is believed this change may be a concession to the European Union in an attempt to lift its arms embargo on China.  VOM Spokesman, Glenn Penner, expressed cautiousness at the news. "Of course, only time will tell," he stated, "whether genuine change in this draconian policy will materialize or if Chinese authorities will simply find another, less obvious, way of violating the basic human rights of those whom they wish to detain without going through the judicial system.  The international community needs to be vigilant in keeping China accountable regarding this.  It is too easy just to accept their stated intentions and believe that this is progress."

Pray for real and lasting change in China.  Pray that those detained for their beliefs will be strong in their faith and stand firm in the face of torture.  Pray for the release of those detained.

For more information on persecution facing Christians in China,click here.

According to the Associated Press, Zhang Shengqi has been released after one year in prison.  Zhang was arrested in late 2003, along with Liu Fenggang and Xu Yonghai.  They were convicted of leaking "national secrets" after posting Internet reports on the destruction of several unregistered churches in Hangzhou.  They were also accused of leaking information about a 2000 court case involving Li Baozhi to an overseas magazine, "Christian Life Quarterly."  Family members contacted by AP confirm his release.

Thank God for this release and pray for those who are still imprisoned for the faith in China.  Pray that Zhang will not continue to face harassment from Chinese officials.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in China,click here.

Zhang Rongliang Photo from VOM-USA

According to China Aid, a prominent house church leader in China, Zhang Rongliang, was arrested on December 1 at his home in Xuzhai village in Henan Province.  His wife and children were able to escape and are presently in hiding. Their apartment has been searched, with authorities confiscating DVDs, photos and other materials that would establish any form of proof that Zhang had relationships with foreign organizations.  According to a reliable source, homes throughout the village were searched, presumably looking for Zhang's wife and children.

Zhang is believed to be held in custody in the Zheng Zhou area of Henan Province. He is the leader of the China for Christ Church, a network of house churches estimated to have more than ten million members. Zhang is well known internationally, being featured in the book, "Jesus in Beijing," as well as many other books and articles. He previously served twelve years in prison for his faith and was last released in August 1999.

According to Bob Fu from China Aid, Pastor Zhang’s health is questionable as he suffers from serious diabetes. It is feared that Pastor Zhang may not be able to withstand the torture and mistreatment generally associated with the imprisonment of church leaders.

China Aid reports that Gao Shunping, who assisted Pastor Zhang in getting a travel ID, has also disappeared and at least three house churches in the Fangcheng area have been raided in the past two weeks.

We encourage Christians throughout the world to protest this latest action against freedom of religion in China. Contact information for Chinese embassies is available through our website (click here). The book, "Jesus in Beijing," is available through VOM's online catalog.

For more information on persecution facing Christians in China,click here.

Official Government Seals from the released document Photos and documents fromChinaAid

A copy of the original document and an English translation are available (click here).

Pray for the underground house churches in China , as they face the oppression of government leaders.  Pray for wisdom in ministering in the midst of this persecution.  Pray for strength for those in prison for their faith in China .

For more information on persecution of the Church in China ,click here. The Voice of the Martyrs has a number of resources on China available through our online catalog.  This includes books, DVDs and VHS tapes at prices typically below what you would pay in bookstores (click here).

China Aid has released an appeal from the husband of a Christian woman killed in police custody on June 18 (for more details, click here). Zhang Zhenghua, husband of Ms. Jiang Zongxiu, is calling for the Chinese authorities to investigate and hold the police officers accountable who beat Jiang to death while she was being interrogated.  Despite reports in the Chinese media and several appeals to higher authorities, there has been no serious investigation into the case.  Initially, the authorities claimed she had died of heart failure, despite the obvious wounds on her body from the beatings.  To read the English translation of Zhang's appeal, click here.

Continue to pray for Zhang and his four-year-old son, Zhang Jun, as they deal with the terrible loss of a wife and mother.  Pray for other families also facing the pain of loved ones killed or in prison in China for their Christian work.  Pray that the authorities will hold responsible those who killed this young mother.

We encourage Christians to call the Chinese authorities to account by politely expressing your concerns to the Chinese embassy in your country.  For contact information, click here. For guidelines on how to write a letter to government officials, click here.

For more information on the suffering and persecution facing Christians in China ,click here.

Pastor Cai Performing a Baptism

Pastor Cai Zhuohua and his wife face extremely harsh sentences if convicted in an upcoming trial.  The 32-year-old pastor was kidnapped on September 11 by plain-clothed officers while he was waiting for a bus in Beijing .  On September 27 his wife, Xiao Yunfei was arrested while in hiding.  Her brother, Xiao Gaowen, and sister-in-law, Hu Jinyun, were also arrested. According to sources close to the Chinese authorities, the central government has labeled this case the most serious case of overseas religious infiltration since the founding of the People's Republic of China . According to China Aid, Qiang Wei, deputy General Secretary of Politics and Law Commission of Beijing, has issued a handwritten directive "Yan Ban," meaning to deal with this case harshly and severely.

The authorities reported finding 200,000 Bibles and other Christian literature in a storage room managed by Pastor Cai; literature not printed by the officially-sanctioned press which limits the numbers and distribution of Bibles it prints.  This literature found by the authorities was intended for internal use by the house churches.  Authorities are also reported to be upset about a quarterly magazine for house churches called "Love Feast" (http://www.aiyan.org) with which Pastor Cai has been involved.

According to one source, authorities are considering criminal charges such as tax evasion or illegal business management, rather than religious charges.  Such criminal charges could lead to a life sentence.  All four arrested are being held at the Qinghe Detention Center , Haidian District, Beijing .  None of their relatives have been allowed to visit.

Urgent prayer is urged for these four believers in Jesus Christ. Pray also for Pastor Cai's four-year-old son, Cai Yabo, who is under the care of his grandmother.  We encourage all those concerned about religious liberty to contact the Chinese embassy in their country, expressing concern for these and other believers in prison for their faith in China.  For contact information, click here. For guidelines on how to write a letter to government officials, click here.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in China ,click here.