Catholic bishop arrested in China, Vatican says

(April 3, 2009) A prominent Catholic bishop has been arrested in China, the Vatican said on Thursday, adding that the move could hurt Pope Benedict's efforts to improve dialogue with the communist country. Bishop Giulio Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding diocese was arrested by police and, according to Rome-based AsiaNews agency, taken from his home to an undisclosed location on March 30. He has been repeatedly detained in the past. In a statement, the Vatican expressed "profound sadness" over the latest arrest of Bishop Zhiguo. "This is not, unfortunately, an isolated case," the Vatican said. "Other members of the Church have also been deprived of their freedom or are subjected to undue pressure and limitations on their pastoral activity." China's communist government does not allow its Catholics to recognise the Pope's authority and forces them to be members of the Chinese Patriotic Association, the state-backed Catholic organisation. There are between 8 million and 12 million Catholics in China, split between the official and underground churches.