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No pity from China as Tibetans burn

On November 4, in the Ngaka Tibetan and Qian Autonomous Prefecture, a 23-year-old Tibetan man named, Dorbe, set himself alight in protest against the Chinese government while also calling for the return of the Dalai Lama, the Buddhist leader-in-exile.
 
According to Tibetan human rights groups, this took the number of known cases of self-immolation in Tibet to 153, with 133 of the protesters dying in the process.
 







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Wenzhou bishop detained again

HONG KONG (UCAN): For the eighth time since he was ordained a priest in 1999, Bishop Peter Shao Zhumin of the unofficial Church in Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, China, has been detained by the authorities.
 
A source called John, said that the 55-year-old bishop was taken away on the morning of November 9 by personnel of Yueqing Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau.
 
“The authorities did not explain the reason, only saying that the bishop would be returned to the diocese within 10 to 15 days,” he said.
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Memorial for priest dead under mysterious circumstances

HONG KONG (UCAN): Around 100 people attended a memorial service held for Father Pedro Wei Heping of the unofficial Church in China, who died three years ago under mysterious circumstances.
 
Joseph Cardinal Zen Ze-kiun the former bishop of Hong Kong, led the service at St. Bonaventure Church, Tsz Wan Shan on November 15.
 
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Is targeting of Catholics pushback from low-level officials?

BANGKOK (CNS): Although China and the Vatican signed a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops in September, persecution of Chinese Catholics continues.
 
Some believe there is considerable pushback against the Vatican-China deal from inside China’s United Front Work Department (UFWD), the Communist Party-controlled religious bureaucracy, especially at a more localised level.
 
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Beijing symposium marks 50th anniversary of Chinese-language bible

Hong Kong (UCAN): Various Church groups from mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan have been organising seminars and symposiums in honour of the 50th anniversary original translation—of the Bible from Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek sources into Chinese by the Studium Biblicum OFM in Hong Kong.
 
The Studium Biblicum Version, is the predominant Chinese-language translation of the Bible used by Chinese Catholics.
 
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Two priests in Hebei detained

Hong Kong (UCAN): Father Su Guipeng and Father Zhao He, of the unofficial Church in the diocese of Xuanhua, China, have been detained by authorities in Hebei province, according to a source.
 
The source said Father Zhao, who serves in the Dongcheng Catholic Church, was taken away by the personnel of the United Front Work Department of Yangyuan County on October 24.
 
Seven unidentified people went to the church and said they were taking the priest to talk to local government officials, but he had not returned.
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More church crosses demolished

Hong Kong (UCAN): Chinese officials have ordered the demolition of crosses and some other church structures in dioceses in Zhejiang, Henan and Guizhou provinces.
 
In southwestern Guizhou on October 15, officials ordered Anlong Church to remove structures and crosses, erected as part of a local pilgrimage, which allegedly violated planning laws.
 
Authorities warned that unless a fine was paid by October 20, income obtained from the pilgrimage would be confiscated. 
 
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A Tibetan view of the Sino-Vatican agreement

Sang Jieja
 
After years of negotiations, the Vatican and China finally announced in late September that a consensus had been reached on the appointment of Chinese bishops and the two sides signed a provisional agreement.
 
As a Tibetan bystander, I wasn’t optimistic about the agreement. I have been subjected to violations by the Chinese government for more than 60 years.
 







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Two steps forward, one step back: Vatican diplomacy with China

Michael Sainsbury 
 
When Deng Xiaoping took charge of the Chinese Communist Party in late 1978 and announced his programme of reform, it was the beginning of the end of 39 years of isolation for China’s Christians.
 







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Sino-Vatican provisional deal signed

HONG KONG (SE): The Vatican announced on September 22 that a Provisional Agreement between the Holy-See and China on the appointment of bishops had been signed at a meeting by Monsignor Antoine Camilleri, undersecretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States, and Wang Chao, deputy minister for Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, the heads of the delegation of the Holy See and China. 
 
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