Vatican Calls for Release of Bishop Jia

(02 Apr 09 - RV) The Vatican press office released a statement today regarding this week’s meeting of the special commission for the Church in China.


The statement was released Thursday after the commissions’ meeting Pope Benedict, and a week of discussion involving experts from the Curia on the state of the Church in China and representatives from the church hierarchy and religious orders on the ground.


The Vatican Commission for the Church in China has expressed its’ “profound sadness" over the latest arrest of Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding and for the situation of other bishops and priests who are "deprived of their freedom". The arrest of Bishop Jia , took place just as the Commission's work was beginning on March 30^th, when police appeared outside the bishop's home and took him to an undisclosed location. Bishop Jia, 74, suffers from various disturbances because of past imprisonments and his age, and the faithful of the diocese are concerned that this new arrest could endanger his life.
The Commission recalls that this arrest and deprivation of freedom is not "an isolated case," and cites "other ecclesiastics," who "are subjected to undue pressure and limitations on their pastoral activities."
The members of the Commission also express their desire to assure these religious currently in situations of detention of their " fraternal closeness and constant prayer, in this season of Lent." The statement goes on to add that these situations of "uneasy relations with the civil authorities" "create obstacles to that climate of dialogue with the competent authorities" which Pope Benedict - in his 2007 letter to Chinese Catholics – had said he hoped to build.
The statement explains that the work of the Plenary Commission focused on "the formation of seminarians and of consecrated persons, and on the ongoing formation of priests”, asserting that that "in union with the bishops China, who are responsible for the ecclesial communities, efforts will be made to promote a more adequate human, intellectual, spiritual, and pastoral formation of the clergy and of consecrated persons who have the important task of acting as faithful disciples of Christ and of members of the Church, and of contributing to the good of their country as exemplary citizens."
In this light the Commission ends its reflections with a call to mission. Quoting from Pope Benedict’s’ letter it concludes: "The Church, always and everywhere missionary, is called to proclaim and to bear witness to the Gospel. The Church in China must also sense in her heart the missionary ardour of her Founder and Teacher . . . Now it is your turn, Chinese disciples of the Lord, to be courageous apostles of that Kingdom. I am sure that your response will be most generous".