Fr. Joseph Lu Genjun, episcopal vicar of Baoding, freed after 8 years in prison

Fr Joseph Lu Genjun, 52 from the unofficial, community of Baoding (Hebei) has been released after eight years of isolation and imprisonment.  

Fr. Joseph Lu Genjun  was arrested in February 2006 along with another priest and a friend whom he met at the train station in Baoding. The other priest was transferred to the Xushui prison (Hebei) and later released. But Fr. Lu was brought to several secret places. Most recently he was being held in the Communist Party School in Baoding.

In December 2008, his parishioners asked the government for his release, even if only temporary, to be close to his dying parents and attend their funeral. But even this act of filial piety, which is of great importance in Chinese culture, was denied him. Fr. Lu has suffered years of imprisonment and other violence.

Fr. Lu is very well known because he had been carrying out the functions of the episcopal vicar of the diocese, after two underground bishops, Msgr. James Su Zhimin and Francis An Shuxin were seized by the police in 1996 and 1997 respectively.

Later, in 2009, Msgr. An was persuaded to join the Patriotic Association. His choice created quite a stir and division in the Church of Baoding, considered a stronghold of the underground community and for this subjected to intense persecution.

Since his release, on 9 August, Fr. Lu is a guest at Bishop An's home, near the Cathedral of Baoding. It is highly likely that the release of Fr. Lu is merely a gesture of friendship by the local government towards the person of Msgr. An Shuxin, who is much appreciated for his goodness.

Fr. Lu’s  refusal to join the Patriotic Association has led to frequent arrests and detentions in the past. The first was April 5, 1990, the same year of his ordination, on Palm Sunday, for a short period. He was arrested a second time, before Easter in 2001 and remained for three years in the Gao Yang Provincial labor camp, Hebei. Shortly after his release he was arrested again May 14, 2004, for an unspecified period. Finally,  in February 2006 along with another priest and a friend whom he met at the train station in Baoding. The other priest was transferred to the Xushui prison (Hebei) and later released. Many more bishops and priests are yet to be released.  (AsiaNews)