Persecution Against Catholic Priests in China

Frs. Wang Yiquin and Li Shidong were stationed in the Catholic parish of Maijiqu Ganquan, in the diocese of Tianshui. Both are “underground”: they belong to the non-schismatic Church recognized by Rome.

On July 21, 2018, the municipal Committee for Religious and Ethnic Matters published a letter confirming that the two priests had been sent back to their native villages. They were denounced by the local authorities for organizing a summer camp for young people in their parish in 2017.

According to an anonymous source quoted by the organization Eglises d’Asie, “there are people in the government who wish to break away from the current situation. They refuse to allow the underground Church the right to exist and wish to make it official.”

The parish of Maijiqu Ganquan is one of the only two Catholic parishes in the diocese of Tianshui. Erected in 1921, it covers about 8000 square yards including the church, the parish buildings and the houses.

Worried about the rumors of negotiations between Beijing and the Vatican, Cardinal Joseph Zen, archbishop emeritus of Hong Kong, has made no secret of his fears. He believes there could be grave consequences if an unsatisfactory agreement is signed with China, causing disappointment for both the Catholics of the “underground” Church and those of the State Church, known as the “patriotic” Church.